


Insomnia

by Whoknows138



Series: I gave Kai depression before season 2 footage even came out [1]
Category: The Hollow (Cartoon)
Genre: Adam is the parent of the group, Adam only says one swear word what a boy-scout, Alcoholism, Angst, Any actual sex is only implied so don't worry, Casual Relationships - Freeform, Everyone swears at some point, Fluff, Kai isn't ok, M/M, Mira tries her best, My very first fanfic, One Night Stands, Reeve also isn't ok, Self-Harm, Skeet is Skeet...and isn't ok, Smoking, Suicide Attempt, Swearing, The entire VanReeSkee team is a bad influence, The hollow not having enough content overpowered the fact that I'm horrible at writing, Two pining idiots start making out with each other but don't actually date for most of the fic, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, Unhealthy Relationships, Vanessa is a bitch and not ok, do not expect quality, i made an account just for this, slowburn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-19
Updated: 2020-04-15
Packaged: 2021-02-25 21:27:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 47
Words: 84,622
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21862195
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Whoknows138/pseuds/Whoknows138
Summary: Sometimes the deepest parts of you never go away when you forget everything.(Also known as the I gave Kai (and a few others) some issues and now you get to watch everyone suffer a bit more fanfic.)
Relationships: Adam/Kai (The Hollow), Kai/Vanessa (The Hollow) (Temporarily)
Series: I gave Kai depression before season 2 footage even came out [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1744138
Comments: 75
Kudos: 199





	1. The Room I, Name

**Author's Note:**

> I really liked The Hollow, so when I saw how little content there was I was pretty sad. Kai's my favorite character, and I relate with his insecurities a bit while also admiring his confidence. That's when I thought to myself: hey, what if I shoved that confidence deep down inside him and gave him severe depression? And so this mistake was made in three days. After making four chapters of the first episode I decided to actually post this because why not? 
> 
> The portrayal of depression probably isn't that accurate. It's mostly based a bit on my own experiences plus how others have described it. I say my own experiences but I haven't been officially diagnosed, nor have I cut (although I've contemplated it).
> 
> It would really help if you guys gave me feedback. I'm not good a writing, but I really do enjoy writing. I would like to be able to improve, although I have dumb-ass energy so It'll probably take awhile for me to do so XD. I hope you're prepared for Grammar mistakes, repetition? And other bad stuff.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone wakes up.

The first thing he hears are the voices of two people. Strangely enough, they weren’t familiar at all; He just assumed it was a weird dream however and carelessly eavesdropped, not caring much for what they said.

“…Who are…Where am…”

“…Don’t know…woke up here too.”

He realized it wasn’t a dream when he fluttered his eyes and slowly turned his head to the direction of the voices. The idea that he was in a room with two people he never met hadn’t registered yet, and what they were saying suddenly interested him.

When he eventually did realize the fact that he was in a room with two strangers, he felt his heart race as he attempted to stand up.

Except he didn’t attempt to stand up. The very thought of standing up…or better yet being conscious sounded so _exhausting_ to him. He wanted to go back to sleep and dream _forever_.

He was already awake however, and his racing heart certainly wouldn’t allow him to get what he wanted. “Wh-who are you? Where am I?” He called out in a strained voice on the floor. The two strangers turned to him, supposedly startled.

“Yeah, those are the top two questions.” Said a Latino boy, his face and stance emitted an air of confidence despite the situation he was in. He seemed like a natural leader.

“…Hey, are you alright?” said the other one. An Asian girl. She seemed more unsure of herself than the dark-haired boy, but just as mature, and also caring. “Can you get up.”

_No_ , He thought, He doesn’t want to get up _ever_. _Put him back to sleep please_. He buried his face in the concrete floor for a few seconds and moaned in discomfort before groggily getting up.

When he was fully standing, his vision suddenly got all…mixed up and weird, and his head got heavy. He must have stood up to fast, which was weird because it felt like a minute passed before he managed to fully stand straight. Was it just him? For a brief moment he saw the look of concern from both of the strangers as he tightly shut his eyes and massaged his temples, leaning against the also concrete wall.

The boy spoke first. “Yeah, you don’t look so good, you ok?” Surprisingly enough the natural leader was also a bit caring. _He didn’t want caring though_. For some reason he wanted them to leave him alone _despite_ the fact that he probably needed help if he wasn’t feeling this good.

He forced a strained smile. “Y-yeah, I’m good, just stood up to fast.” _Please just leave it be_.

The girl wasn’t convinced. “…I think that’s a sign of dehydration…is there any water here?” She quickly looked around, searching for anything that might look like a drink but most likely found nothing as she looked to the ground in dejection. He could feel himself shrink into the wall in embarrassment. _~~God, why do you two even care about someone like me.~~_ “I guess not. Sorry…your name?”

He processed the question the girl gave him, and thought hard. That’s when he realized he didn’t know his own name, and his heart started to race even more in panic as he shrunk further into the wall and scooted slightly closer to one of the corners of the room. “…I-I don’t know…” He _hated_ how pathetic his voiced sounded just there, especially since it gave the strangers even more of a reason to be concerned about him.

The boy cautiously walked over to him with a reassuring face and voice, or at least as reassuring as it can get for their current situation. “Hey now, it’s ok…I don’t remember my name either.” The boy then turned his head to where the girl was standing, “What about you, can you remember your name?”

The girl seemed slightly offended by that question. “O-of course I can! It’s…” Her face slowly morphed into that of confusion and fear and she backed into the wall opposite of him. “It’s…It’s… **W-what is going on**!” She shouted as she slid down to the floor, clutching her face.

The boy sprinted towards the girl, an action he greatly desired at that moment. “Hey now! It’s ok! We’re all in the same boat here!”

He blinked, and then processed the statement horribly because the first thought he had that came out of his mouth in response to that was “We’re on a boat?” Only when he actually looked around the room for the first time and pressed his head against the wall to try to hear any underwater sounds did he realize how stupid that was.

The room was large and light grey, built with concrete as mentioned before. There was a drain in the center of the floor, a vent at the top of one of the bricked styled walls where the two strangers were, and a typewriter close to the corner he was trying to back himself into in an unsuspicious manner. _Boats aren’t made of concrete you idiot_. _~~Just shut up for once~~_.

God he can’t imagine the look on the two strangers faces, they must think he’s such a weirdo. When he turned to look at them however, they didn’t seem to have cared, and were focusing on looking around the room just as he was. It made him feel both good and horrible for two reasons. Number one for feeling good: they were ignoring _him_ , number one for not feeling good…they ignored him.

…Wow, well _those_ are two conflicting reasons. He shook his head and decided to just focus on the type writer. Picking it up, he felt a sort of muffled fuzzy feeling. It was a typewriter after all, invented back in the 1800s? A revolutionary piece of technology for its time? Hello! This is the good stuff right here!

He obviously loves these types of things for some reason…so why doesn’t he feel as happy as he should? To be honest though, can he really have happy thoughts when he’s stuck in a mysterious closed off room with two strangers with no memory of his own name? It’s probably nothing…probably.

He yelped a bit when the girl called for him. “Hey, are you sure you’re ok?” crap, he needs to act normal somehow so they’ll stop asking him that specific question.

“Just admiring this typewriter! People used these before computers and smartphones!” He hoped his smile wasn’t as strained as last time.

She seemed to buy it, but was also unimpressed. “How’s _that_ going to help?”

“You could type up you last will and testament!” He tried to joke around, but quickly realized that the joke was a bit too morbid by Mira’s concerned expression. Before she could say anything he quickly exclaimed, “B-but in all honesty I don’t really know how this could help!” With another fake smile, and she seemed to back off after that.

The girl decided to focus her time on speaking with the anonymously voted leader. “So where are we, and what are we doing here?” She asked, clearly having enough of this trapped in a room with no escape nonsense. The boy responded to her question instantly, “No Idea…” He seemed to ponder for a second before questioning both the girl and himself, “You guys can’t think of any memories before you woke up, right?”

The girl shook her head after searching through her thoughts, “No, I can’t.” He quickly followed suit and the boy showed a signed of insecurity as their suspicions were confirmed, before resuming the leader role and began to think of a plan. It was a split second, but he saw that frustration, and the boy was a little more likable to him than before. Before the boy got on his nerves a bit just by how cool, awesome, and confident he was. As for the girl, she was also cool, but in a good way where she actually seemed to have _flaws_.

Maybe speaking up would be a good idea? “Do you…do you think we’re dead?” _~~God he wished~~_ - ~~~~

_Wait what_!?

How the girl responded to his question helped him shove that thought deep down to ponder about later. “We’re not dead! We can’t be dead!” Her confidence seemed to shrink as she thought about the situation, and then she turned to the leader for confirmation. “…We’re not dead right?”

Apparently not even the leader had answers to that. The room was quiet for a moment. He continuously rubbed his fingers against the side of the typewriter. The smooth, cold feeling comforted him.

After about a minute the boy finally spoke up, supposedly having a plan. “Hey, you with the red hair! I need your help.” He looked up. Since both of the strangers had dark hair, they must have been referring to him, right? So, he was a red head…

He set the typewriter down gently, and shuffled towards the leader. “What do you need?”

“I think we can reach the vent if I boost you up.” The boy stated as they crouched down and cupped their hands for him to step on. He was nervous, least to say. The leader seemed strong, but he felt his legs shake a bit as they boosted him up.

He unfortunately could only barely reach the bottom of the vent, and that wasn’t enough. “I can’t do it!” _of course he couldn’t do it, why would he **ever** think someone as pathetic as himself would-_

“Hey, what are you muttering about up there? And try harder, you aren’t even stretching!” The boy replied.

Oh god did he say the rest of that _out loud_? Thank god he was whispering! “N-nothing, and alright.” He managed to speak out as he stretched, and managed to clasp the bottom of the vent cover. He tried ripping it off, but it was sealed tight, and why was he losing his balance-

Ah, the sudden movement he made when he tried ripping the vent off must have messed up the boy’s grip on his feet. He was falling.

And then the boy somehow managed to catch him, clasping on to the hem of his pants, underwear in sight. They were doing a weird ninja pose too. Even they seemed surprised by it.

The girl seemed equally surprised by this, “Woah…” was the only word she could say. The boy seemed a bit embarrassed by this admiration, “Maybe I belong to a gym?” They tried to reason.

As for himself, he was surprised, no doubt he was! “Thanks.” Was all he could manage to say, and all he got in reply was a soft smile from the leader. He didn’t know how to feel about that.

He decided that now was the time to _~~for once~~_ be useful, so he thought for a minute in silence, standing there, before his mind brought something to his attention. “Hey!” He exclaimed to the other two. “Do you guys have anything in your pockets, maybe it could help us with getting out of here?” He looked at the two, trying to discern from their faces what they thought. When the boy and the girl glanced at each other, He _instantly_ knew that he must have ran his mouth and said something stupid again. He turned his head to look at anything but those two strangers. “S-sorry, that was stupid…” He managed to mutter out loud enough for them to hear.

He must be horrible at judging social cues, because the next thing he knew the leader was patting his shoulder in comfort, “No, that isn’t stupid at all, that’s a great idea.” He glanced at the boy’s face, which seemed reassuring, and then the boy began to search around their pockets. The girl, who was smiling at him a bit, followed suit.

They both pulled out small pieces of paper. The Leader stared at theirs for a few seconds before flipping it and showing it to him. “It says “Adam”” they then showed it to the girl, who seemed just as confused with what was written on her piece of paper as she was with what was written on the boy’s.

He blinked for a moment, confused as well. “Is that…maybe your name?” He asked the boy. The boy looked at their paper, before shrugging and putting it back in their pocket. “I guess, better than no name at all…What about you, what does yours say?” They turned to the girl, who replied instantly with, “Mira.” Mira then turned to him. “What about you? You haven’t searched your pockets yet.” The leader, now called Adam, looked at him and nodded in confirmation of what the girl, now called Mira, stated.

Ah, he should probably search his pockets too huh? _Jeez he’s such a moron_! Fumbling through his pockets, he caught a piece of paper in his hands, and pulled it out. He looked at the name for a second before showing it to Adam and Mira.

“K, a, i…Kay…I think it’s pronounced Kai actually.”


	2. The Room II, Typewriter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kai writes his last will and testament.

And there were the three of them, now named Adam, Mira, and Kai, stuck in this closed off room with no hope of escape. Adam was pacing as he tried to think of what to do. Mira was clutching herself in a corner in panic, thinking about how screwed they all were. Kai himself had gone to the other corner where the typewriter was.

It sat in front of him, the page connected to it completely blank. He was thinking about getting that last will and testament written down, as bizarre as it was for him to mention that beforehand. He knew what to write down generally, “I, Kai, hereby leave all my possessions to [insert person he cares about here].” He didn’t know what he could leave behind though, his shirt? His pants? His loafers? His _hair_?

Now that he actually thought about it, he was being pretty stupid again. He didn’t even _know_ anyone he could give this stuff too! I mean, he knew Adam and Mira, but they’d be dead along with him! Besides that, he didn’t really _know_ them. All he knew was that Adam was Mr. Perfect and Mira was his dream girl, although he doubts Mira even thinks he’s cool.

Even then though it was better than doing what Mira was doing, as much as he respected her already. He decided to just write the basic sentence down first. “I, Kai, h-“

But the moment he pressed the letter “H”, he heard a strange noise coming from the same wall that housed the vent. All three of the teens turned to see one of the concrete bricks slide out, making a ledge to leap on.

It wasn’t too long before Kai saw Adam dangerously close to him. “K-Kai! what did you just do?” The Leader seemed excited for once. Mira also came close to hear what he had to say, worry no longer painting her face.

The Attention was uncomfortable, very uncomfortable. He quickly replied, “I-I was writing something down and when I pressed the letter H, something happened!” He moved the typewriter away from the corner he buried himself into, setting it in a place where everyone could gather around it. They all stared at it for a bit before Mira spoke up. “Type “H” again?” 

Adam had no problem performing that task, and before they knew it the ledge was gone, shifting back into place like a shy turtle.

Everything clicked into place for Kai. Without thinking he started to shout excitedly, “ **It’s a puzzle! I’m not sure how the typewriter is doing this but I think we have to type the right word in order to make an escape** -”

And then he realized he was too loud.

_He shouldn’t be too loud._

Kai pressed his lips together tightly, trying not to cover his mouth with his hands and concern the other two. They were probably more focused on their possible chance of escape to care anyways. “So, what word should we type?” Asked the leader himself, Adam.

“…Helium?” he spoke in a quieter voice than usual. He knew it was pretty stupid, it was the first word he thought of after all. Even then at least he contributed to the puzzle solving somewhat.

Mira seemed unimpressed, but Adam already typed the first letter, causing the ledge to reappear. “Wait, are you _seriously_ typing helium?” Said Mira with a look of disappointment.

Adam was quick to reply, “Nothing is too farfetched at this point.” Kai agreed.

The next two letters seemed to work. The letter “E” made another ledge above the previous one, and the letter “L” made another ledge higher to the right, something you’d have to jump across to. However, the letter “I” pushed all of the bricks back into their place.

“Well, it was really close. Good job Kai.” The compliment Adam gave him seemed actually genuine, which made him feel conflicted again. On one hand the leader gave him a compliment, which made him feel nice. On the other hand the leader gave _him_ a compliment, which made him feel…unworthy? Was that the word?

“It looks like we only need a four-letter word so…help?” Mira Suggested. She didn’t seem too sure of herself, but honestly no one seemed sure of themselves at this point. It was better than nothing.

Adam got straight to work typing the summary of everyone’s needs on the type writer.

And it worked.

The last ledge, which was in the same row as the other two but higher than the third ledge, was finally put in place. It was close enough to the vent that if you stood on the ledge, it would be at about your head.

Everyone gave a collective sigh of relief as their escape route was revealed before them. They all scrambled towards the first ledge.

And then Kai smelled it, something that didn’t seem right. Turning to the drainer, he realized that a noxious green gas was seeping through it.

Oh god it was a trap.

“U-uh…guys? The drain is-” He tried to speak more, but the gas was clogging his lungs, making him cough. The other two followed suit.

“Yeah Kai, we know.” Mira replied with a strain in her voice. Adam, the wonderfully flawless leader, managed to leap all the way to the second ledge, landing on it perfectly. “Come on guys! We have to go!” He replied with urgency as he jumped, _performed a freaking flip in midair_ , and landed on the third ledge. Kai and Mira were both surprised at _that_.

Kai let Mira lift herself to the lowest ledge first, He followed suit, although he had more difficulty with it than Mira had. This was repeated for the second ledge, and Kai could have sworn he almost fell when jumping to the third ledge.

Adam had already caught and pulled Mira up to the last ledge, they were just waiting for him. Kai would have instantly jumped, awaiting the young “athlete’s” instant rescue.

But something held him back for a few seconds as the gas surrounded his upper legs. A tiny little thought at the back of his head.

_Jump off the ledge and fall to the ground. Let the gas kill you._

It scared him how that idea sounded so enticing.

They must have noticed how terrified he looked in those few seconds, or they just thought he was crazy. Either way Adam was quick to voice his concern/annoyance very loudly. “ **Kai! what are you doing? Jump!** ”

That was enough to snap Kai to his senses and get him to leap towards the final step. Adam caught his hand pretty quickly, and lifted him up like a couple of grapes. God, was Kai that weightless? Was he supposed to be concerned about that? Apparently Adam thought he should be concerned, “You need to eat more…” Adam deadpanned. Kai wasn’t sure if it was a joke or not.

Kai didn’t even have a chance to reply because Adam was already focused on trying to open the vent, which seemed difficult for him to do. It made sense really, there’s no way this flawless boy was capable of both amazing agility, fantastic gymnastics, _and_ intense strength right?

Except apparently he was, because Adam got so tired of trying to pull off the vent cover that _he smashed his hand against it, instantly bending it outwards and releasing all the screws that kept it attached to the entrance_.

The…

_What_?

God even Mira seemed a bit afraid as Kai hid behind her. Adam’s slightly sheepish grin threw that feeling away however as they both realized that Adam definitely wouldn’t hurt them on purpose, even though they’ve only known him for around five minutes.

And then they remembered the poisonous gas, which made them all quickly crawl through the vent because y’know, they could _die_.

Since Adam broke the covering, and because he was the leader, he was in front. Kai followed second, but was crawling backwards since he thought it would be weird to have to look at Adam’s butt for who knows how long. Mira was last, and looked disappointed at Kai’s life choices.

“I-I mean, if anything attacks us, I can crawl away faster…” He tried to reason less with Mira and more with himself. Now that he was thinking about it however, Mira’s disappointment isn’t unwarranted. Another one of his dumb ideas.

Suddenly Adam stopped, he knew this because he shortly collided with their butt, stopping him in his place and bumping against Mira’s face as she tried to move forward. The former situation felt a lot weirder than the latter.

“Hey Adam, what’s going on?” He questioned the leader, hoping they would scoot up a bit as they explained. His answer was quickly returned. “There’s a new vent, it leads up…I think that’s a covering up there!” He seemed a bit excited, but his tone still held that heavy seriousness.

“What are you waiting for then? Go up and check!” At first Kai didn’t know why Mira sounded so worried when she said that, but when he looked behind Mira and saw that the gas was catching up with them, he quickly understood why.

Adam did exactly that, and Kai finally wasn’t as cramped as he crawled out of the vent. He clung onto the ladder attached to what looked more like the wall of a tunnel than a new vent, mostly because of the round shape. Mira quickly followed suit.

Adam had already opened the covering. It sort of looked like a bunker entrance, a _deadly_ bunker entrance apparently. He seemed to be looking around, checking to see if it was safe to leave the tunnel.

Kai looked behind him, and saw that the gas was pouring from the square opening they just escaped from. Mira was also doing this, and decided that whatever was out there had to be safer than being in here. “Adam! We need to get out of here!” She exclaimed. Adam looked behind him, saw the gas, and quickly lifted himself out of the tunnel. Kai and Mira soon also escaped from the tunnel using the ladder, and Adam swiftly shut the lid and sealed it tight.

There was silence for a few seconds, before everyone started panting. They had mostly been holding their breath due to the tense situation…and the gas. Now that they were in a forest with no poisonous gas in sight, they could all breath in the fresh air and taste the freedom-

Wait…Forest?

Yep, as Kai looked around, he was able to determine that they were in a forest. A forest in the middle of the night it seems. He could hear the crickets chirping, and saw a few fireflies flying in the air.

Well, they aren’t trapped anymore. But now they’re lost…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next chapter. I already had this written down but I wanted to go through it and make sure it was all at the very least OK. enjoy!


	3. The Room III, Midnight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adam's eyes held a message tender.

Kai knew he was a coward. He would be ashamed to admit it out loud, but not in his own head. Despite that however, the creepy darkness that is a forest in midnight did not scare him. Not in a way he expected.

He felt like he was suffocating again, like he was back in the room with the gas. It was less his lungs however and more his heart, if that made sense. Even then he felt fine, just…uncomfortable. It was sort of like he was used to it.

It was kind of weird, because this is technically his first visual memory of night.

Kai was most likely tired; he was thinking _a lot_ of weird things.

Mira and Adam had important things to discuss, like where they were going. Before long they just decided to head south of the vault. Mira was already heading towards that direction by the time Adam shook Kai out of his brooding. “Hey, we need to get going.” The leader sounded just as tired as Kai thought himself to be.

“Yeah…” He quietly agreed, before following Adam to who knows where.

They had been walking for about ten minutes. Mira assumed a temporary leadership as she led the way to…eh, who knows.

The reason Adam wasn’t at the front was because he was walking next to Kai, completely zoned out. Honestly, he looked _exhausted_. It made Kai like the boy just a little more because hey, _that’s_ a flaw.

The reason Kai was with Adam and not with Mira was because of Adam’s current mood right now. Since he was so spacey, and probably wasn’t even paying attention to where he was going, Kai had to gently direct Adam to _not_ bump into tree branches and trip over small rocks without breaking his trance.

Adam deserved this peace after everything he did in the weird deadly bunker. Kai could admit that even if he didn’t really like him that much.

Kai also passed the time mostly staring at the natural leader’s shirt. It had a weird geometric pattern. He thought it looked familiar.

Kai actually spent a lot of time staring at Adam, his nicely shaped face, his serious eyes, his…god how do you even describe that hair? It kind of stood up and was a bit spikey? Did he use gel?

Adam was pretty hot to be honest…

…Oh…Kai isn’t straight huh?

He was thinking something along the lines of bisexual, considering he thought Mira was rather pretty. The blue highlights in her hair made her look sick as heck.

Well, there’s something new about himself. Maybe he would eventually tell the two about this-

_They can’t know_.

…But why? He 100% knew it was fine to be bi…

_They’ll hate you if they knew_.

He doesn’t know that…

_Save yourself the embarrassment, Adam is obviously straight_.

He decided to just…agree with whatever his thoughts were telling him. The more he argued, the more his chest tightened. Going with it lessened the tenseness a bit, but it was still there.

Mira suddenly stopped. Kai had to extend his arm to prevent Adam from continuing the journey without them. An owl hooted in the distance.

“…She’s lonely…” Mira looked so forlorn in that moment; the moonlight shined on her face as she stared off to the trees.

It was a breathtaking sight, but Mira said something pretty kooky so the magic wasn’t as strong as it should be.

Adam stood still for too long, and snapped out of his trance. Gently pushing Kai’s hand away, he walked towards Mira. “What’s going on?” He spoke softly.

“The owl, she’s lonely…why do I know that?”

“…Um…you’re Mira. You’re good at puzzles and can apparently speak owl?”

The girl giggled at that comment. “I’m starting to think I’m pretty cool!” Adam and Mira continued walking next to each other, talking about who knows what. Kai wasn’t really paying attention. He stayed at a nice distance, as he didn’t want to disrupt their moment.

They looked good together, to be honest. Guess he was right about Adam being straight, although he didn’t care that much since he _totally_ didn’t like them in the first place. He just wished he could find someone to be like _that_ with.

Kai _wasn’t_ disappointed. There wasn’t a _need_ to be. He just needed to push these feelings deep inside and focus on getting home…

He must have spaced out or something, because when he looked to his side where Adam used to be, he saw that they were right next to them once more. Kai almost had a heart attack. He cringed at the weird shrilling scream he made in his throat.

“Ah, sorry. I startled you, didn’t I?” They spoke rather casually to Kai for some reason. It was almost as if they didn’t want to scare him away. The Attention made him uncomfortable to say the least.

“N-no. It’s fine. I thought you were going to stay with Mira and look out for any signs of civilization.” Kai hoped he didn’t sound too insecure there. He also hoped the lack of eye contact didn’t make it more obvious.

“I wanted to check on you. You haven’t talked much.” Wow, who knew the oh so amazing leader was so _nice_. Kai felt himself relax a bit. The confrontation with communicating started to wear off.

They spoke for a while. Adam talked about what they would do once they found a city, while Kai brought up different theories as to why they were stuck in that room. At a certain point Mira stopped. Turning to him and Adam, her face told them that she must have found something important. “Guys, you might want to see this…”

Adam was quick to get next to Mira, while Kai just walked there. He wasn’t in a big hurry right now. He was actually having a pretty good time, as good as it can get anyway. When he reached to where Mira and Adam were however, he had a big reason to be excited.

It wasn’t a road, like Adam told him they were looking for. It was something though. A big metal fence that stretched across to either side. If there’s a fence, there has to be a road nearby as well right? Or anything that another human might have made!

The only problem was that the fence looked impossible to climb over. The barbed wires at the top that slanted inward made sure of that.

“Someone really doesn’t want us to go over there.” Mira stated the obvious. Kai decided to get closer to the gate. He wanted to see what was on the other side. The warnings that Adam and Mira gave him from afar went past his head as he unconsciously closed his left hand around the fence wires-

And then there was pain; a shocking pain so intense it knocked him backwards. His ears were ringing from the shock as he laid on the ground, tightly clasping his left wrist.

Adam and Mira were hovering over him in seconds. He could tell they were shouting at him, probably really concerned, but he couldn’t hear them at that moment.

The pain felt _good_ …like the pain helped him feel _alive_. It instantly got rid of all those negative thoughts and emotions that had been bubbling inside him. He didn’t even realize how bad he felt until the weight was lifted.

Was he a masochist or something? He wasn’t able to continue that thought because Adam kept shaking him over and over again. He looked concerned, and desperate. “Kai! Please! You need to tell me if you’re ok!”

“I…I’m fine…I don’t get it! My hands should be toast!” And yet they weren’t, they looked completely fine as if nothing happened. Mira and Adam seemed understandably freaked out by this as they glanced at each other. “Yeah, that’s definitely weirder than my owl thing…” Mira spoke with a hint of concern. Kai silently agreed.

Adam helped pull him up, and he was back on his feet again. He felt…much more energized. “Come on guys! There has to be a gate somewhere! We just have to follow the fence!” He started to sprint next to the fence, as if he was racing. Before long Mira was running next to them, and Adam of course got way ahead of both of them.

Figures, he is the perfect, amazing, strong Adam after all. He rolled his eyes and tried to suppress the smile that was threatening to show on his face.

They eventually reached the gate after about 5 minutes. It was metal, like the fence, but solid instead of wired. It had an electrical generator attached to the fence next to it.

The first thing the oh so wise leader of the group tried to do was use his brute force and try to break the generator with a rock. It didn’t work obviously; the rocked cracked into pieces after only a few hits.

While Adam was silently fuming at his failed attempt at breaking the generator, Kai could hear something in the distance behind him…was that…music? He turned to Mira, who was already staring at the direction of the noise in confusion, before glancing him. Looks like she was hearing it too.

Mira was the one to alert this to Adam. “Adam, we think we hear something in the distance over there! We’re going to check it out ok?” Mira began sprinting off in the direction of the noise, and Kai quickly followed suit. Neither of them gave Adam the chance to reply.

About 30 seconds later, they arrived at the source of the noise…which was an old shack? The door had the word “hazard” over it, and some caution tape below it to match the theme. Despite the obvious warning however, Kai and Mira were already at the front door. They would have gone to look inside at that moment if they hadn’t heard a familiar voice shouting at them in concern and possibly a bit of anger. “Mira! Kai! What the heck are you doing? There could be bad people in there!”

“There could also be good people in there Adam! Or something to help us open the gate!” Mira retorted with a small bit of annoyance. She wasted no time opening the door and briskly walked inside. “Yeah Adam, oh wait…are you scared or something?” Woah, when did him, Kai, grow a pair of balls? He couldn’t believe he managed to say something like that in such a mocking tone!

Adam raised an eyebrow at that comment, but that was all he got. The leader walked past Kai to search inside the shack. Surprisingly enough, Kai didn’t care about the reaction. That electrical shock really helped him…

Looking inside the shack he could see a desk in one corner in front of a window, some shelves holding various different flasks containing questionable liquids, a machine pressed against the middle of a wall next to the desk, and another door opposite to the one he entered through. Various papers and objects were strewn about the floor. Something _clearly_ must have happened…

He ignored the obvious second warning of danger and walked towards the true source of music. It was an old record player. There was only one album next to it, empty, which looked to be from around the 30s based purely on aesthetical design. He picked it up to inspect.

Yep, _Midnight, the stars and you_ _by Al Bowlly, 1934_. He knew it sounded familiar. He hoped he didn’t get cabin fever from this.

He put the album down and began searching around for more important stuff, like food, water, keys, a power switch that could turn off the generator. Pretty much anything more useful than the music album. The searches revealed pretty much nothing from either three. Kai decided that opening the second door to see what was inside would be a good option. He entered cautiously, and what he saw would leave is jaw hanging.

What was in front of him seemed like three prison cells. There was nothing else in the room that was noteworthy. The thing that freaked him out though was how the prison bars were bent and broken in half. Something inhumane was trapped in there, and somehow, they got out…

Oh…

_Oh no_!

“Guuuuuuys!” He called out in fear. He hoped Adam and Mira would come and quickly and realize how much in danger they all might be in. He wanted to get out of this shack _pronto_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Third chapter up and running. Enjoy it folks!


	4. The Room IV, Howl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Don't argue with them.

Kai was outside, clutching to the door handle behind him. When Mira and Adam looked at the prison cells, they seemed to be just as afraid as Kai was. He wasn’t willing to wait for the others to start running though, so he quickly sprinted out of the shack. Approximately 5 seconds later he realized that it was dumb to be by himself out in the dark when whatever escaped those cells could be out there to get him.

Still though, he had to gather the courage to walk back inside again. After a few seconds of breathing in and breathing out, he turning around and walked back inside the shack.

Only to find Mira and Adam _still_ searching inside the shack, _despite_ what they just witnessed.

“Guy’s what the actually _fuck_ are you doing?” He couldn’t help but swear, he was completely baffled. Adam gave him a disapproving look, while Mira seemed mostly unbothered by his choice in words.

“There might be something in here we can use.” Was what the leader gave in return to Kai’s question. “Or something that could tell us why we’re here.” Mira added on to their reply.

The two did manage to find something they could use a few seconds after that discussion. An old satchel hanging from the chair by the desk. Sometimes the things you might need are right there in front of you.

Adam and Mira searched inside the satchel, finding a flashlight, a wrench, a bunch of old keys, and even a map! Kai stood there silently fuming throughout all of this.

“Look…” Adam exclaimed. He pointed to the various parts of the still folded map. “The forest, this shack, and then there’s the fence.” “So we must be here at the very southeast corner, right? That means we have to go Northwest…” Mira added on to Adam’s conclusion. A quick unfolding revealed the map to be completely useless, as the forest was the only place marked. Everything else was blank. Mira and Adam both sighed a little in disappointment, but put the map back in the satchel anyways. Adam grabbed the said satchel and put it over his shoulder. He planned on taking it with him.

Kai was getting impatient. “Great guys! You found a map! Let’s get going!” He hoped his urgent tone would reach them, but it didn’t. “Not now.” Was all Adam said. They didn’t even bother to look up.

A minute later, Adam must have realized that Kai wasn’t doing anything useful, “Kai, go find a fence switch.” He seemed to have resumed his leadership position.

Kai wasn’t having any of it anymore. “Who made _you_ leader?” He didn’t care how angry he sounded; he spoke his piece.

Adam seemed confused and offended by this declaration. “I never said I was the leader!” he yelled back.

“Why should I listen to _you_?” Kai yelled back.

“ **Don’t!** go if you want!” Adam’s voice became louder as his temper started to rise.

Kai could have sworn he heard Mira say something along the lines of “keep it down.” But he wasn’t focused on that. He was more focused on how Adam yelling specifically at him was scaring him more than whatever could be out there. His chest was tightening again, and whatever confidence he had from being shocked by the fence was quickly disappearing.

He didn’t want to back down though. “M-maybe I will!” Kai tried to fight back with as much fire as Adam had, but his flame was weakening.

“ **Please, be my guest! No one is stopping you**!” Adam’s shouting was starting to make Kai’s ears ringing. He could feel himself starting to shake as his eyes became watery. He hid his face by burying his head into his left shoulder. There was no way he would let Adam think he’s weak.

“f-fine!” _He should stop_.

“ **Fine**!”

“f-fine.” _He’s being a nuisance_.

“Fi…”

“fine…” _Pathetic_.

“…Kai?”

He didn’t realize how rapidly he was trembling until Adam gently gripped his shoulder. They squeezed it a bit, as if trying to calm Kai down.

Kai glanced up to see Adam, whose face was brimming with concern, it filled up even more when Kai fully turned his head to face him. “H-hey…I’m sorry. This is a stressful situation for all of us but it doesn’t give me the right to snap at you like that…” He spoke almost in a whisper. “It’s understandable for you to be scared, but we have to search around the shack until we’re sure we have everything useful, ok Kai?” Kai slowly nodded, and Adam seemed a little more relieved at that. “Are you ok? You look like you’re going to cry…”

Kai quickly rubbed his eyes, getting every bit of water that threatened to leak out from his eyes onto his hands. Wiping them against his shirt and gently pushing Adam’s hand away, he smiled the fakest smile had had smiled yet. “Yeah, I’m fine. I’ll go find the power switch like you said.” He walked out the door, or more like he trudged out of there, and then cautiously stepped into the open.

He thought he could hear Adam talking to Mira, but he couldn’t pinpoint exactly what they were talking about, as he was already around 20 feet away from the shack. The negative thoughts overwhelmed him. They were suffocating him and slowing him down.

Luckily the distant howls got the adrenaline mostly kicking in, so the bad thoughts quickly abandoned him.

30 seconds later, all three of them were running towards the gate. Adam searched his satchel and grabbed the wrench, throwing it at the fence. The wrench bounced back and hit Adam in the face, almost knocking him out. Even the leader was malfunctioning under the stress.

They needed to find the power switch, and fast. But wherever could it- oh wait it’s right there next to Kai, attached to a tree. Sometimes the things you might need really _are_ right there in front of you! Kai grabbed the handle and pushed it down. A whirring noise signaled that the electricity was down.

“Good going Kai!” Mira praised with enthusiasm. Kai only hid his face against the tree, too embarrassed to say anything. Adam meanwhile tried forcing the gate open, but his strength wasn’t enough. He searched his satchel and grabbed the keyholder; he started to use each key on the gate in an attempt to find the right one to open it.

Kai and Mira were right by him in seconds. Kai looked behind him and saw what appeared to be red canines. Spikes protruded from their spine and legs. Their eyes were glowing brightly, like a raging fire. They were also sprinting towards them at an alarming rate.

The dogs looked straight from hell.

They were _fucked_.

But, like a miracle. Adam managed to get to the last key and opened the gate. It wasn’t long before Mira and Kai were scampering away from the danger.

Kai looked back, wondering why Adam wasn’t running with them, only to see that he was trying to pull the keys out of the gate.

God what were they, an idiot? Who knows when the three of them will need that! Probably never!

Kai wanted to race in there and help, but the rest of his body wanted to get away as fast as he could. And so, he was glued in place watching the stubborn leader do something dumb and pointless that could get him killed.

Like another miracle however, Adam managed to pull the keys out and smash the gate back in its place right before the dogs got to him. Kai almost passed out from the sheer shock.

“You really like to cheat death don’t you!” He yelled with agitation…and possibly a tiny bit of admiration. Adam must have read in between the lines, as he smirked a bit and sauntered towards Kai. “What can I say?” He spoke with confidence. “I guess I’m just that good!”

_Oh_ …

Kai _definitely_ wasn’t straight…

He was glad Adam had already passed by him when Kai started to blush brightly. He tried to compose himself by rubbing his cheeks, trying not to think about how awesome Adam looked in that moment. When he thought he finally cooled down, he followed them.

The two of them soon came across Mira. they quickly understood why she had such a defeated look on her face. End of the line, they were standing on a cliff. The edged boulders sticking out of the rushing water prevented them from even considering jumping off the cliff a safe option. “Well, there’s your water Kai…” Mira’s attempt at lightening the mood didn’t do much to make them feel better.

Kai heard barking and growling in the distance. He turned around to see that the demon hounds were digging their way under the fence, and would be bouncing towards them pretty soon.

As Adam and Mira came to the same conclusion, Kai felt his mind short-circuiting.

They were going to die.

_~~He wanted to die, but not like this!~~_

_They need to shout for help._

And that’s exactly what he started doing. His “help please’s” reverberated across the forest. Adam was trying to get him to calm down and accept their fate. Mira was contemplating jumping off the cliff to prevent the possibly long death of being eaten alive. There was absolutely no hope-

“Well well well! Did someone ask for _help_?”

And then there was hope, in the form of a creepy purple skinned man in his early 30s who looked like a blonde Rick Astley. His red Jacket was bright, way too bright. It was painful to look at.

Adam was quick to respond “Yes! Help us!” His pleas could probably be heard 30 feet away. Mira and Kai were skeptical as they tightly clung to Adam, but were willing to take anything at this point.

The weirdo seemed excited at this “revelation.” Jumping around and clapping his hands. “Excellent! One teensy-weensy, little, tiny, little, teensy-weensy little thing!” He bent down to the three teens faces, his face suddenly shifting into a serious persona. “It's gonna cost you…”

“Cost us _what_?” Adam replied in agitation, he wasn’t having any of this right now.

“So then, you want my help or not?”

“ **Yes**!” Although Adam wasn’t screaming at him, Kai flinched a little, remembering what happened back at the shack. Adam looked behind him to stare at Kai for a second with an unreadable expression, before turning his head back to the weirdo. “Yes, we need help _now_.” He spoke quieter that time.

“Excellent! I’m pleased to be of assistance and will gladly help you!” He shook Adam’s hand energetically, the smile of a show host plastered on his face. The air changed however as he bent to their level once more, the serious persona was placed back on. “But first…the magic word.”

“ _What!_ ” They all shouted in unison. Did the guy think this was some kind of _game_?

Apparently they didn’t, “Do you think this is some kind of _game_? _What’s the magic word_!?” The weird guy shouted at their faces, his head twisting an entire 360 degrees. The dogs had already gone under the fence, and were hurdling towards them quickly with no signs of stopping.

“ **Help! Please!”** They all three shrieked in unison. Would their last words _seriously_ be a cry for help?

The weirdo snapped his fingers, and suddenly there was a bright light below them. It surrounded them; the immense power it gave blew their hairs in every direction.

Kai passed out from the sheer shock of what he was presented with. His last instinct was to cling tighter to Adam’s shirt to prevent himself from falling to the ground.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With that, the first episode is done! Stay tuned for the desert!


	5. The Desert I, Minotaur

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kai breaks his nose.

Kai slowly opened his eyes to a warm colored room of adobe walls and floors. He saw light pouring out from a wooden gate that covered the exit, but the room was dim regardless.

Kai then realized that his hands were tied behind his back. The revelation should have completely woken him up, but it was just like in the room. He was too tired to even care.

He wanted to sleep more, the soft pillow his head was laying against was so comfortable, and the way it moved set his mind at ease-

Wait, _moved_?

His eyes snapped open and he stood up straight, looking to the left in the direction of the supposed pillow-

Only to find that it was actually Adam’s chest he was laying against, not a pillow. The guy’s face was turned to the wall next to them, but they’re breathing was rather relaxed so he assumed they were sleeping.

Kai felt his face heat up significantly. He knew he had to be as red as a tomato right now. He definitely wasn’t thinking straight!

He shook his head. He needed to focus…like where’s Mira? Sure enough, she was right next to him as well, her head resting against the wall she was propped against. She also seemed to be sleeping.

They were all tied up, and he was the only one awake; just great. He would have preferred jumping off the cliff than be stuck in whatever magical light nonsense he was in right now.

He _swears_ that’s just an expression, he doesn’t really want to die…?

When Kai turned to Adam’s direction again, he saw the leader staring back.

_Holy shit they need to stop doing that_!

Another shrill screech escaped his throat as he shrunk himself against the wall. “Sorry! I’ll try to warn you next time.” He spoke quietly. Kai was confused at Adam’s lowered tone, but when saw Adam glance at Mira for a second he figured they just didn’t want to wake her up.

Kai decided asking questions would be a good idea, maybe it’d give him some clarity. “What…happened? Last thing I remember we were surrounded by some weird light and then…”

“Yeah you…uh…passed out. The light turned out to be a portal. We all fell through it and next thing I knew I was laying on the sand, surrounded by what looked like…cow people?” Adam squinted his eyes as he thought hard. He must have been barely conscious for that last bit of info. “I’m not sure, we fell a long distance and the portal seemed to have drained my strength.” He shook his head, giving up on searching his mind for more detail.

“Cow people huh?”

“Y-yeah. I know I sound like I’m insane right now but I could have sworn that they were cow people.”

“…I don’t think you’re lying.”

“Huh?” Adam turned their head to him, He tried to muster a friendly smile despite his exhaustion. “We were just chased by demon dogs, and then went through a magical portal. At this point anything is possible.”

Adam said nothing to that, he only smiled. Kai could hear himself screaming internally, he looked so _cute_.

It was time to face the facts, Kai actually liked Adam _a lot_.

_And now it’s time to bury those feelings deep inside and not get to ahead of yourself_. _Adam is obviously straight_.

The realization hurt him, but what else could he do? Confess and get rejected?

“I hope I didn’t wake you up…” He was just talking to talk at this point, better than silence.

“Oh no, I was up for a while. I hope I wasn’t too uncomfortable by the way.” He saw the leader smirking in the corner of his eye.

 **Wha** -

“Guy’s…what’s going on?” Mira had woken up, and she didn’t seem too happy. He was quick to fill her in.

“Cow people? Are you sure you’re ok Adam?” Mira stared at the leader like they were going to snap at any second. He was quick to defend Adam. “A purple skinned weirdo just sent us through a portal Mira. Why _wouldn’t_ we get captured by cow people?” Mira Stared at the floor blankly for a few moments before muttering “touché.”

Awkward silence filled the room for a few seconds. Mira decided to break the ice. “Speaking of which, who _was_ that weird guy. He was… _creepy_. Like evil clown creepy…” She shuddered just from thinking of _it_.

“…Don’t know, but he can’t be that bad considering he helped us.” Adam shrugged, although he seemed to be as creeped out by _it_ as the rest of them were.

“If you call teleporting us into an area where we were instantly kidnapped and thrown into this prison with our hands tied behind our back “helping.”” Kai groaned as he struggled to get up, his legs were getting restless and he wanted to walk around, but the rest of his body was so _tired_. As he fully stood, he felt that fuzzy feeling again and almost fell back on his feet, shutting his eyes tightly. He leaned against the wall for support.

“Stood up too fast?” Adam asked Kai with sympathy in his tone. Kai only moaned in response. After he was sure he was able to stand on his own, he started shuffling towards the exit.

The gate barring their escape was poorly made, but their hands wouldn’t be able to do much considering they were tied up. At the very least the spaces were wide enough for Kai to peak through.

They seemed to be in a village. The buildings looked sort of like a strange mix of pueblo and medieval European architecture. Not a single soul was in sight.

And then there was. The very cow like person stared directly at him in front of the gate, shouting some sort of gibberish. Kai screeched as he jumped back and fell to the floor, his face landing in front of Adam’s sneakers. “K-kai! Are you ok?” Adam questioned with concern.

Kai only whined in response, he landed directly on his face, and his nose certainly didn’t feel good. Slowly sitting up, he felt liquid leaking from his nose and realized from the metallic taste that it was blood. Mira was freaking out and started scooting closer to Kai, struggling to remove the rope tying her hands together as she asked a hundred times over whether Kai was ok. Adam meanwhile was just sitting there in silence, but he surprisingly looked 2 times more worried than Mira, and shifted his glance all over the place, as if he was panicking and didn’t know what to do.

Kai meanwhile started feeling that relief he felt back when he was shocked by the fence, only it was stronger. He felt so clearheaded. He was definitely awake now, that’s for sure.

The sounds coming from outside the prison drew their attention. The words “Besoono,” “Menato,” and “Katana” could be heard coming from the monsters. “What are they saying?” Adam spoke stiffly. Mira was quick to translate. “They’re angry about all the human invaders that keep showing up.”

Kai raised an eyebrow at Mira, “So not only can you speak owl, but minotaur also?” She only shrugged at the question. “Apparently we’re also the ugliest of the bunch.”

“Why would they say that? Adam’s too hot to be grouped with us!” He replied with genuine confusion-

“W-what?” Adam’s voice was filled with confusion and surprise.

“Even I can tell that you’re a chick magnet, no scratch that, an everything magnet!” Kai was slightly smirking as he turned towards Adam and explained himself. The blood loss was clearly making Kai lose his brain cells, but the confidence he was gaining from it was overwhelming and he felt like he could do _anything_. He could have sworn that Adam was…blushing? But it was too dark to tell for sure.

Regardless their “important” conversation couldn’t continue on, as the Minotaurs opened the gate and rounded them up. Before they knew it all three of them were walking together, the guards leading them to a certain direction as they pointed their weapons menacingly behind them.

After a few minutes of walking, Mira spoke up. “I’m going to try to talk to them.” She seemed unsure of herself, but she was technically their only hope of clearing up a possible misunderstanding. “Go for it.” Was all Adam replied.

Mira nodded in confirmation. The minotaurs looked pissed as Mira stopped and turned to them. She stared awkwardly for a few seconds, trying to think of what to say. “B-beenabo! Pentana bono?” Was what she settled with.

Based on the monster’s horrified gasps and screams of “Katono tah.” What Mira said clearly didn’t help. “…They think I’m a witch now.” Was what Mira concluded with as they continued their “merry” way towards who knows where. “ _Nice_ ” Kai replied with obvious sarcasm. “Are they going to eat us?”

“No…but someone called Toros will…” Mira replied, her voice filled with worry. The three of them were abruptly stopped, and marveled at what laid before them.

It was a large pyramid. The intricate design of the doorway made the place feel ancient and important.

Three minutes later, they were inside the pyramid. They were in a room, their hands raised up high and tied to the wall. A loud stomping sound was heard and the two minotaur guards screamed and ran. Even they seemed afraid of this Toros guy.

The teens stood there uncomfortably awaiting their doom. Except Adam, who was vigorously pulling away from the wall and trying to break the rope surrounding his wrists. It hurt Kai to see Adam struggle like that.

“Adam, it’s no use! We’re minotaur chow…” He tried to reason with Adam, hoping that they would stop struggling like a caged animal and break his goddamn heart. They may have escaped death once, but there was no way lady luck would help them once more-

And then Adam ripped himself out of bondage. The broken straws fell to the floor.

Kai forgot that Adam had super human strength…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp! Here's the beginning of episode two. Enjoy!


	6. The Desert II, Hole

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keep it locked, don't let anyone in.

The first thing Adam did was grab the nearest sharp rock and furiously cut away at the rope Kai was tied up with. The rope was torn apart in seconds.

Kai was glad that his arms were free, as the ropes were too tight, majorly uncomfortable, and gave him a bit of rope burn around his wrists. He was starting to feel just a tad bit woozy from the nose bleeding-

Adam cupped his face and stared intently. They then grabbed the hem of their shirt and lifted it above their face, taking it off their body.

_Kai was going to fucking die and it wouldn’t be because of Toros_.

“Adam I don’t think that now’s the time-“ Kai was cut off by Adam shoving their shirt in his face and using it to pinch the soft part of his nose. “Lean forward and use this to stop the blood flow. I’m going to free Mira.” Adam placed Kai’s hands where they were pinching, and then let go. They raced towards Mira with the sharp rock, and began cutting away at the rope that tied her hands.

Thank god Adam’s shirt was hiding his blush. His face was only getting redder considering he was holding Adam’s _shirt_ -

Kai had to calm down. That loud stomping noise was getting louder and louder as if it was getting closer. Adam was taking more time cutting Mira’s rope than he did with Kai’s. Now wasn’t the time to fanboy over is crush. Now was the time to panic over their lives.

Just when Adam cut off the last string of rope that was holding Mira’s hands together, the mysterious Toros appeared through the doorway. It was a giant minotaur, as tall as three adults standing on top of each other. Its teeth were huge and sharp, and its horns were enormous.

Spitting out the chewed-up bone it had in its mouth, it let out a great frightening roar. “ **Scatter!** ” Mira shrieked in fear, and everyone ran in different directions.

Kai had been running for a few minutes. The shirt he was using to prevent the blood flowing through his nose also covered his mouth, making it difficult to breath.

He couldn’t afford to rest though, because Toros decided to chase him instead of Adam or Mira. Kai was getting closer and closer to losing his shit every second

_He needed to hide_ ; _everything will be ok if he just finds a hiding spot_.

And he did. Rounding the corner, he saw a hole in the wall close by. It was big enough for him to fit in if he crawled through, and deep enough to where Toros couldn’t get him if it noticed.

He scrambled towards the hole and crawled through as fast as he could. Reaching the very end of the tunnel, he held his breath as Toros rounded the corner. The monster made some confused noises, and then slowly stomped through the hallway. Each vibration that came with each stomp threatened to make Kai squeak in fear and give away his position.

When it seemed that Toros was far enough away where it wouldn’t hear him, Kai gave a sigh of relief. He was still almost close to a panic attack however. His entire body was tense, his heart was racing, and his head was swirling with thoughts.

Kai just wanted to calm down, he wanted to feel good again. Letting go of his nose, he dropped Adam’s shirt to his lap. Blood from his nose poured out to his chin and dripped onto the shirt, making more barely seeable stains on it.

Kai was already feeling so much better. He sighed and leaned his head upwards against the wall.

His bliss was short lived as he felt a hand tapping his shoe. He let out a screech and pressed himself against the wall, only to find that it was just Adam. He was panting a bit, likely from the exhaustion of running. He also looked a little pissed.

Kai said nothing as Adam helped him climb out of the hole. They grabbed the shirt that he was loosely clinging to with his hand and pressed it back up to his face, pinching his nose. “What did I tell you? Pinch you nose and make sure you don’t lean back. You don’t want the blood to go down your throat!” They almost sounded like a worried parent. It was kind of cute, but the attention ticked Kai off a bit. _Stop worrying about him_! _He’s fine_!

He didn’t have the time to be angry though, as Adam grabbed his arm and gently tugged it. They wanted him to follow them. Kai let his annoyance dissipate and resumed pinching his nose with Adam’s shirt, letting them drag him through the maze.

After a few minutes of cautious walking, they thought they heard someone speaking in the distance. It was easy to identify the voice as Mira, and based on the roars that returned the speech, the monster Toros had possibly cornered her.

By the time they got there, Mira was wielding a large bone for defense. She was in a cylinder-shaped room; bones were strewn all over the floor. Toros was just a few seconds away from using its claws to tear her in half.

“Hey Buttercup!” Adam yelled. The attempt at distraction worked. Toros was now stomping its feet along the ground, getting ready to charge at Adam and Kai.

Adam raised his arm as a shield to protect Kai, while Kai himself stood there stiffly, his heart racing so much it almost felt like it was going to explode. Adam looked like they were fully ready to fight the giant man-bull. The absolute buffoon.

Luckily Mira provided an easier option. “Guys! Down here!” The saw her duck into a human sized hole on the floor. Adam pushed Kai out of the way, into the direction of the hole. Kai scrambled the rest of the way there, almost dropping Adam’s shirt in the process. He looked back to discern the fate of his ~~crush~~ as he clutched to the floor with one hand.

Toros had charged at Adam, but he managed to jump high in the air, dodging the monster’s horns and landing on its back. It struggled to remove its horns from the wall it crashed against as Adam raced toward the hole.

Kai was stunned to say the least. “Where’d you learn to do that?” he inquired. Adam only shrugged and pushed him further down the hole, the stomping noise behind them indicating that Toros had freed itself. They then pushed themselves into the hole seconds before they could get torn into pieces with Toros’s horns.

The monster crashed its head halfway through the hole, but that was all it could fit through. The terrifying bellow it let out clearly expressed its anger and frustration at its prey.

Watching Toros trying to kill them in vain was actually amusing. Kai couldn’t help but mock him. “What’s the matter big-head? Is your head to big big-head?” He teased the monster in spite.

Kai shifted his gaze towards his companions, suddenly aware that he was in the presence of people. Mira seemed unamused, but Adam looked like they were trying to hide a smirk. “Come on Kai, let’s get going.” they spoke with a strain before swiftly turning on their heel and walking through the cave.

A cave huh? the walls were made of brown stone and the floor looked to be your average dirt. It was a cave alright. And it led to somewhere.

Who knows where though…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a tad bit shorter than the others, but the one after makes up for it. Hope you enjoy!


	7. The Desert III, Mother

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They're only doing what's best.

10 minutes had already passed as they continued to walked through the cave. Adam would check on Kai’s nose every once and awhile to see if it stopped bleeding or not. About a minute ago it did stop, so Adam was given back his shirt. Faint blood splotches were visible, but only if you were purposely looking.

“Sorry about the shirt.” Kai muttered loud enough for the leader to hear. His confidence had worn off and he felt like he was at an all-time low. Adam only shrugged. “it’s mostly black, so the blood doesn’t show up much. If you had used your shirt it would have stood out.” They stated frankly.

It definitely would have, considering the torso part was pure white. Kai was confused though. “Why do you care so much about my shirt?” he quietly inquired.

Adam looked a bit nervous for a minute, as if he was trying to remember the answer to the question “…It looks nice.” Was what Adam replied with. Kai was still confused. “Are you kidding, yours has a weird geometric square on it. It looks cool as hell. I feel bad ruining it!” He tried to…undefend himself?

“What are you talking about? Your shirt looks cool too! The number on the back makes it stand out, you know?” Adam started to look equally confused.

“There’s a number on the back on my shirt?”

“You didn’t know?”

“Of course I didn’t! No memories remember? I didn’t even know I had red hair until you called me “red-head” back in the room!” He replied with annoyance and turned his head to the side, ending the conversation. As much as he ~~liked Adam~~ \- _appreciated_ _Adam as a friend_ , the boy could get on his nerves sometimes.

“…It’s a pretty color.” Adam countered softly

_Excuse him but what the_ -

**Was he flirting**?

**_Was Adam actually flirting with him right now_**?!

Nonononono calm yourself Kai, they aren’t flirting with you. They’re just trying to make you feel better and ~~succeeding greatly~~ \- failing miserably. Change the subject, _quickly_.

“…W-what number is on my shirt?” _Oh god he sounded so pitiful_. Someone _please_ shut him up before he commits social suicide.

Adam raised an eyebrow, possibly confused as to why his compliment was ignored. “Ah, um, it’s 0.” He stated awkwardly.

Ah yes, the number representing his worth. _Keep that it mind Kai_! _The next time you think someone might actually like you remember what your shirt rates you as_!

There was an awkward silence that filled the dark cave. Adam would have used a flashlight, but he tried to beforehand and the batteries were dead. Instead he held the bone Mira gave him as a weapon, just in case anything suspicious came too close. They were all getting tired, and hungry most importantly. When will this tunnel ever end?

And then they could all see it, a bright light of what looked to be the end of the tunnel. Adam and Mira, who were both starving, smelled something good coming from the light, and were racing towards it to find out if there was possibly food beyond it. Kai slowly followed them. He was hungry too, but he didn’t really feel like eating.

They all came upon a…strange sight. It was your typical 50’s kitchen. Clean, colorful, and homey. A blonde woman in a pink swing dress and apron was stirring something in a pot. There was a hole to the left of the room, where it lead was unclear.

It was really _weird_.

“Should we go in?” Adam asked after a few minutes of staring. Mira let her actions speak for her. She walked towards the woman, and tapped them on the shoulder. They let out a squeak in surprise and fell to the floor.

“Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you!” Mira apologized to the woman, who quickly stood up and enveloped her in a hug. “You’re here! I’m so happy to see you!” Their voice sounded warm and motherly, conveying trust and safety.

But not for Kai. Kai wasn’t ok. Kai was very uncomfortable looking at the woman. He didn’t trust her one bit. He wanted to get out _fast_.

“A-Adam, I don’t like this. It’s obviously a trap…” He tried to coax the leader into believing him. To no avail however, as Adam simply shrugged and said, “I’m hungry.” Before walking into the room. Mira introduced the woman to Adam. She didn’t seem too bothered by the extra guest, and urged them both to take a seat at the dining table.

As the woman served the two something that looked like soup, Kai felt himself freaking out. He didn’t just want to stand here awkwardly and wait for his friends to be done eating in a highly suspicious place. If he was going to die, he’d want to be by their side. ~~Specifically Adam’s side~~.

And so Kai slowly walked towards the dining table. The woman noticed him and started giggling. “Welcome young man!” She gestured towards an empty seat near Adam. He took it gladly.

The woman poked Mira at the nose. “Goodness! Are there anymore? Are you hiding anyone in your pockets?” Mira could help but giggle back, her optimism and laughter were contagious.

Kai was soon served food, which turned out to be what he thought it was, soup. It certainly looked delicious, but Kai wasn’t immediately drawn in unlike Mira and Adam, who were greatly chowing down. He picked up a spoon, spooned a small portion, and slowly put the food into his mouth.

It didn’t taste bad, but it didn’t taste good either. It didn’t really taste like _anything_. Not only that but Kai just did not feel like eating at all, even though his stomach had growled several times throughout wandering the cave. He put his spoon to the side of his bowl. “So…what’s in this stuff?”

The woman was washing some dishes in her sink when he asked the question. “Oh! Just some vegetables!” She replied cheerily.

Just great, he has no excuse to not eat this. He sighed, picking up his spoon again and getting ready to dig in begrudgingly.

“And some bones I steal from Toros! Adds that special flavor!”

Adam and Mira, who were halfway through finishing their meal, spitted out the food that was still chewing in their mouths. They were clearly disgusted by the fact that they were eating bone soup. Kai sighed in relief and pushed the bowl away. Thank god he had an excuse to not eat now.

Mira decided to finally ask some questions. “Excuse me, but we’re a little lost…do you know where we are?” The woman, who was grabbing her duster, did not help answer the question at all. “Why you’re here! It’s where you need to be!”

This time Adam was the one to ask a question. “…Well…uh…we think there’s been some kind of mistake? We just want to go home.” The woman simply replied, “Of course you do! Everyone does!” with a smile as she dusted various corners of the kitchen. It also didn’t help.

The three teens blinked. _Everyone_ does? Does this have something to do with what the minotaurs mentioned back when they were in the prison cell?

The woman smirked playfully. “Don’t worry so much about it! There’s still much more ahead of you after all!” She clasped her hand on the ear of the chair Kai was sitting on, making Kai very uncomfortable. “Besides, you can’t go home! Not until you meet… _him_!” Her enunciation of the word “him” made the comment all the more mysterious.

Adam glanced at Mira and Kai in confusion, before shifting his gaze back at the woman. “…Who?” was all he asked, it was all he needed to ask.

There was no response, as the oven dinged and distracted her. “Oh! I almost forgot the cookies!” She shouted excitedly and paced towards it, opening the lid and bringing the tray out with an oven mitt.

Adam turned to Kai, “See Kai, there’s nothing to worry about, she’s baking cookies for crying out loud!” He whispered. Kai wasn’t convinced, or excited about the prospect of having to eat more. Mira looked confused at Adam’s comment, and questioned him, “Does Kai not trust her or something-“

A crash was heard as the cookie tray fell to the floor. The woman stood stiffly before slowly turning her head with what looked to be an angry and disappointed look at Kai. “You don’t trust me?” Her eye twitched a bit as she uttered those words of displeasure.

…W-was it just him or was he hearing a loud vibrating noise very close to him? Wait, it’s his chair. The chair was vibrating against the floor.

He tightly clutched his arms, which were trembling with fear. The stare she gave him, it was _terrifying_. _He was sorry_! _He didn’t mean to_! _Please_ -

Everything else was a blur, he thought he heard someone laughing, and then he felt like he was flying in air. He heard some murmuring, and felt someone shaking him. The shouts for his name slowly became less muffled, and his vision became less and less…staticky? Kai stared in confusion at a worried Adam, who was clutching his arms and frantically shouting his name.

Kai tried to speak Adam’s name, but he couldn’t even finish the first syllable before Adam pulled him into a tight hug. Kai could still feel himself shaking a bit, and felt tears brimming from his eyes. He noticed that he was on the floor, against the kitchen counters across from the table. The chair he was sitting on was knocked to the side. He appeared to be next to the woman, who was completely knocked out…wait…was he sure that was the woman? Her hair was suddenly white and shaggy, her skin was a sickly green, and her faced was giving an evil, ugly grimace.

Suddenly she looked less scary, just a tiny bit. Kai felt himself relax slightly in Adam’s embrace, although the bone the leader was holding made it a bit uncomfortable. The leader pulled away too soon for Kai’s liking, “Are you ok? You suddenly just…shut down…and the witch tackled you and almost…!” He questioned Kai like a worried parent, glancing at every part of his body for possible injuries.

Kai grabbed at Adam’s shirt and buried his face into their chest, ignoring the faint scent of blood it emitted as he let his tears trail down his face. “I…I’m fine. J-just give me a moment.” He heard the sound of the bone being placed on the floor, and felt a pair of hands slowly surround him. They gently patted his back in a comforting motion.

Footsteps cautiously got closer to the two teens, and they both looked up to the left. It was a tense Mira, who had a wet towel in her hands, and the satchel over her shoulder. She opened the satchel, which seemed to now be brimming with stuff she raided from the kitchen such as a knife, a first aid kit, snacks, water bottles, and towels. She crouched down and rubbed the wet towel over Kai’s face. The gesture confused Kai at first, but then he remembered that the blood from his broken nose probably dried onto his skin.

When Mira was sure that Kai’s face was blood free, she squeezed the towel of the rest of its water, which dripped onto the floor, and then shoved it in the satchel. She handed the satchel back to Adam, who quickly stood and grabbed Kai’s hand, gently pulling him up.

Adam then picked up their weapon, the bone, from the ground. They silently ushered for the other two to follow them. Kai clung to their arm; his nerves were completely destroyed. Mira walked next to Kai and gently patted his shoulder, trying her best to give him a comforting smile.

They all walked towards the tunnel to the left, it being the only escape route from the kitchen. Their journey abruptly stopped however when what appeared to be another woman, who looked exactly the same as the one before, walked through the tunnel. She carried a tray of what looked to be gelatin in her one hand. “Who wants ambrosia salad!?” She questioned excitedly.

The teens looked at the jello lady in confusion, before looking behind to see that the foe they fought was still there on the floor. The jello lady also looked back. She gasped and dropped the salad to the floor, which turned out to be filled with gross ingredients such as eyes and worms. Kai jumped at the sudden noise and hid himself behind Adam’s back, peeking from the side.

“ _What have you done to my sister_!” She shrieked furiously as she transformed into another green skinned witch. She tackled Mira, pining them to the ground. Giggling creepily, they opened their mouth and began to slowly suck the soul away from Mira. Her attempt at eating was in vain however, as Adam struck the witch with the bone, knocking her across the room.

The second witch attempted to stand up and chase after them, but slipped on the puddle of water the wet towel made. Her neck collided with the side of the table, creating a cracking sound that reverberated across the room and made the three teens shiver in revulsion. The second witch fell to the ground, completely lifeless with an awkwardly twisted neck.

The three teens stood there in silence for a few minutes, looking at the corpse in complete horror. Kai could swear he saw Adam’s weapon hand trembling ever so slightly. The blue and purple bruise slowly spread around the second witch’s neck.

Eventually Mira, who quickly recovered from the soul sucking, gently coaxed Adam and Kai towards the direction of the escape. No one said a single word. Mira was even more tense than before. Adam was sweating and breathing raggedly as he tightly clutched the bone in his hand. Kai himself was internally freaking out, loosening his grip on Adam’s arm ever so slightly.

_They just fucking killed someone_.

It may have technically been an accident, and that someone may have been an evil soul sucking witch, but it did nothing to ease their shock. They continued in silence for a few minutes.

Eventually Kai couldn’t take it anymore. “…L-let’s hope the third witch is somewhere else gathering ingredients. T-they usually come in threes.” He muttered awkwardly, loud enough for the other two to hear in an attempt to break the ice.

Mira only blinked, she looked like she was in a different zone, trying to keep the thought of the murder away from her mind. Adam on the other hand giggled a bit, although awkwardly. “…So you’re Kai, and you know witch rules?” He tried to joke around, although his slightly shaky voice did little to help lighten the mood.

“Boo.”

Kai felt his goddamn soul descend to hell and then come back screaming as a _third_ witch scared the ever living heaven out of them all. She crawled on the ceiling like some giant spider before she fell to the ground in front of them, landed on all fours, and sprinted towards them at a fast speed. Adam somehow managed to strike the witch on the head at the perfect moment before she could get too close. The witch was knocked backwards, thankfully unconscious.

Nobody wasted any time. The three teens all vigorously ran to the light that was getting closer and closer. They managed to escape the cave and ran into the desert. The third witch, which turned out to not be completely knocked out, clinged to the entrance of the cave. “Remember! _Death_ is your friend!” She called out insanely as she reached her arm out to them. She quickly pulled her arm back in, as the sunlight almost burned it away. Before they knew it, she had retreated into the cave.

The three stood there, far away from the cave entrance. After around 20 seconds of staring at it, they all collapsed to the ground. Mira laid in a fetal position, staring blankly in silence. Adam dropped the bone he was holding to the side and spread across the desert floor, covering his eyes with his hands and trembling ever so slightly. Kai himself just sat on his knees, slowly massaging his temples and failing miserably at trying not to hyperventilate.

They let the picture of the second witch’s broken neck fully sink in among the beating sun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to make the witch encounter more mentally scarring for them! I mean even the oven scene in the original was kinda freaky, and I'm surprised they didn't freak out about how they technically murdered an intelligent human like being.


	8. The Desert IV, Death

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dehydration makes you say nonsensical stuff.

30 minutes had passed. No one had said a single word.

They had been traveling through the desert for about 20 minutes, and just kept going. Every once and awhile they’d stop and drink some water, possibly even snack a bit.

Kai never ate though, and he barely drank enough water. Adam and Mira’s concerned glances at him were ignored.

He clung onto the bone that Adam had given them when they all finally continued on their journey. Kai understood why, they probably didn’t want to touch the thing they used to indirectly kill someone. As for Mira, she always made someone else wring out the wet towels they used for cleaning off their sweat. Kai understood why for the same exact reason.

It was difficult to think happy thoughts, especially in the middle of the desert trying to recover from an accidental murder.

Kai was incredibly uncomfortable with such an extended silence, and so he spoke the first thing that came to his mind. “…Where is home anyways?”

Everyone abruptly stopped. After a few moments of silence, Adam spoke with a surprisingly insecure, shaky voice, “…H-how can we get home if we don’t even know where home is?” They slowly turn to Kai and Mira, who seemed to have the same terrifying realization.

Mira abruptly collapsed onto the sand. Clutching herself tightly, she began to sob violently. The two boys did nothing to stop her. Adam stood in place and looked away from the two companions while Kai slowly walked towards Mira and crouched down, patting and rubbing her back in a comforting motion. It was technically his fault Mira was crying. _He should’ve kept his stupid mouth shut_.

After 3 minutes, Kai helped Mira stand back up. she wiped her eyes and sniffled in embarrassment. “We need to keep going Mira, no matter how hard it is.” Whispered Adam, who finally turned to look at the two of them. His eyes looked red and puffed up. It was easy to tell he had shed a few tears as well. Mira only nodded, and soon they were all back up and walking.

30 more minutes passed; the silence was killing Kai on the inside. He wouldn’t make the situation worse for them however, so he decided he needed to distract himself with something.

Cautiously walking up to Adam, he mustered the courage to beg, “…Can I have the map Adam?” He figured that staring at the mostly blank map would help him space out and forget the present situation. Adam gazed at him for a few seconds before lazily opening the satchel and searching around for the map. “Sure, I don’t care anymore, knock yourself out.” The apathy in their voice as they handed it over to Kai was concerning, but he wasn’t really surprised.

He unrolled the map. Like Adam and Mira said back in the shack, the forest they were in was at the very right corner of the map. There didn’t seem to be anything else on the map, also like Adam and Mira said-

Except there was…isn’t that the desert they’re in? North of the shack?

“ _Holy shit_.” Kai whispered in amazement. Adam, who was still right next to him, glanced at Kai in disapproval before noticing what was on the map. Their eyes almost bulged out of their head, and a bright smile was on their face. “Mira! Come take a look!” They shouted excitedly.

Mira shuffled over to them, took one look at the map, and instantly lit up. “This isn’t a normal map.” Kai commented to the other two. Mira nodded excitedly, “Yeah, perhaps the farther we go the more will be revealed to us?” Adam agreed with her statement, “Yeah, we better get going then!” They urged. The three of them began a vigorous trek, throwing their past worries deep inside them to think about later.

They finally had some sense of purpose! There was absolutely nothing that could go wrong right now! They were in the middle of a desert for crying out loud, what’s the worst that could happen?!

They almost ran out of water within the next 10 minutes.

After that it had been 40 minutes of walking as they shared one warm water bottle, rationing the sips to only every 10 minutes. The hot beating sun was at it’s highest, and the heatwave felt like it was slowly cooking everyone’s skin.

Kai felt like he was going to die, he drank the least out of all of them. He was starting to regret it but at the same time…the feeling of getting closer and closer to unconsciousness felt so _calming_ for him.

He just wanted to sleep…forever? Was that so bad? He was so tired…

Kai saw the desert floor getting closer and closer…before he was caught by Adam, who had been staring at him for awhile actually. He looked incredibly worried? Kai wasn’t sure, his vision was pretty fuzzy.

He felt something being pressed against his lips, and some sort of liquid being poured into his throat. After that he felt like he was in the air again…flying.

Minutes later Kai realized he wasn’t flying. He was being carried by Adam, bridal style. His face heated up, creating a bright red blush on his face.

Adam noticed Kai’s sudden movement, and looked down to see the visibly sweating red head trying to hide his face in their shirt. “…You’re awake?” They asked softly. Kai turned his face to the leader and saw how exhausted he looked. “You should put me down! You look horrible!” He spoke with a frantic worry as he unconsciously reached out his left hand to cup Adam’s face. Adam subtly leaned their face against his hand. “I’m just glad you aren’t dead.” Their small smile melted Kai’s heart-

_Nope_ , _remember Kai_! _There are thousands of fish in the sea cooler than you_!

He quickly jerked his hand away and turned his blushing face away from Adam as they helped him get back on his feet. Mira, who was in front of the two and looked almost as equally horrible as Adam, quickly ran up to Kai and enveloped him in a small hug. “Thank god you’re ok. You looked like you were on the verge of death so we gave you the last of the water-“

“You _what_!?” Kai shrilled. The embarrassment he had was replaced with shock and rage. What were they? Complete idiots? “Why would you do that?!”

Adam tried to place a hand on his shoulder, but he did _not_ want to be calmed, not right now. He jerked his shoulder away from Adam, who was staring at him in confusion. “We had to help you somehow Kai, you-“ They tried to reason with him, but he interrupted them.

“You guys need the water more than I do!”

“Kai you were _dying_!”

“I was _fine_!”

This time Mira was the one to speak up. “I don’t think almost passing out is a sign of being “fine” Kai!” She sounded _pissed_. “If Adam was in the same situation, you and I would have done the same thing!” Mira’s reassurance did nothing to keep the dark thoughts from overflowing in his mind.

Adam nodded at Mira’s retort. “And if you were in the same situation, we would also have done the same thing Mira. Don’t you see Kai? We’re all in this together-“

“ ** _You should have just let me fucking die! Why do you even care about me!? I’m a waste of space_** -“

… _Shit_.

He said that out loud. He actually said that out loud. He couldn’t see their faces since he was intently staring at the ground, but based on the silence that followed, they had to have heard him.

He wasn’t going to look up. He tightly shut his eyes as they spilled more tears onto the ground and turned his trembling body away from them, lifting his hands to cover his ears. If he can’t see it or hear it, it isn’t there anymore.

He felt a pair of hands gripping his shoulders tightly. Kai felt himself shake even more. _Please_ leave him alone, _he doesn’t want to do this right now_. _He didn’t mean it_ ; _he was just stressed and yelled the first thing on his mind_ -

And then he felt himself being lifted in the air.

He opened his eyes; the desert floor was suddenly moving on its own. To the left of him was…a brown galloping horse? He was placed on the back in a split second.

…Did he just get kidnapped? Dear god, by who? He looked up to see some sickly, green skinned man in medieval red clothes. He was guessing they were the one’s that gripped him and put him on the horse. He slowly uncovered his ears, and looked behind him.

There were two more horsemen. One was brawny and big, wearing a set of roman armor and riding a red horse. Mira was on the back, shocked and confused. The one behind the red horse was a…sickly green horse wrapped in bandages. Their owner was an actually skeleton, also wrapped in bandages. Their raven feathered cloak would have hid Adam, who was riding in the back; Adam however was busy leaning to the side, staring at Kai in concern and horror-

He quickly turned his head away and stared blankly at the sickly man’s back. As much as he didn’t like getting kidnapped, he was actually partially thankful because he didn’t have to deal with his two companions right now. This gives him plenty of time to think of excuses, things to say that will get them off his back once they started to question him about what he said.

They rode on for about 20 minutes. Eventually they reached a…spaceship graveyard? At least that’s what it looked like. The horses slowed down, and stopped in front of a fourth man and his sickly-looking horse.

The man wore a black hooded coat, completely covering ever part of him except part of his face and his hands. He was a skeleton just like the third horseman, and in his hand was a large scythe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so episode two comes to an end! Stay tuned for the next episode's chapters!


	9. Apocalypse I, Tea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Goodness Gracious! What a horrid revelation!

The three teens were pushed off the horses and thrown as a group in front of what appeared to be some grim reaper look-alike. Adam was quick to get on his feet, and quietly urged the other too to get up and come towards him.

Mira was already in what appeared to be an in-progress huddle. Kai was still tense about being around them after what happened, but he breathed in, breathed out, and remembered the responses he had prepared for any questions they could ask him. He was soon part of the huddle.

The leader spoke in a whisper, “Listen guys, you know what that witch shouted before she retreated to her cave? I think this has something to do with it.” Mira thought for a moment, before she nodded in agreement. Kai on the other hand wasn’t buying it, “So you think that “Death” and his three other horsemen of the apocalypse are our friends? Dude, I just think you’re insane!” He spoke his piece.

Adam rolled his eyes. “Maybe I am insane, but being rude to the grim reaper will get us nowhere. Just stay respectful to these…people…ok guys? I’m going to try to talk with…him.” The leader shifted his gaze to the black hooded figure, before exciting the circle and walking towards him.

Kai internally sighed with relief. Perhaps Adam had already forgot about his little moment-

“Oh, and Kai. About what you said earlier. We’re going to talk about that once this situation gets less intense. You got that?” Adam glanced at him with an unrecognizable expression before resuming his walk towards Death.

Kai’s internal sigh of relief entered back into his soul. Looks like he really wasn’t escaping this.

And now Mira was next to him, who could be just as much of a worrywart as Adam. He mentally prepared himself for the questions as he turned to see Mira’s distressed expression.

She spoke softly, “…Kai, what did you mean back there? You don’t actually think that about yourself right-“

“No! of course not! I’m amazing and I know it! It’s just that…even though we’ve only known each other for a few hours, I already care about you guys. I just wanted you two to be ok you know?” He paused, staring intently at Mira’s still worried expression before finishing his excuse, “I was afraid of what would happen if you guys passed out, and I was left there with no hope of saving you two! I know now that I was thinking pretty irrationally though. I…hope you forgive me for snapping at you two like that.”

Mira’s worried look only faded a little bit. “Kai you don’t have to say sorry about that. It’s not you snapping that worried us the most it’s what you _said_ that-“

“Yeah I know. For a drama king such as myself, even that felt a bit out of place. Then again, a situation as terrifying as this can really make you say some extreme stuff, eh?” Mira still didn’t look completely convinced. “Mira! I’m fine! You don’t have to worry about it!” He mustered his best friendly smile.

The girl’s expression changed into a small smile, “Ok Kai, but if you ever feel sad or angry or anything you know you can come to us, right?” He was quick to reply, “Mira, I would have already told you guys!”

Mira nodded, she _seemed_ convinced, but her face showed some sort of doubt that was still lingering.

Kai decided not to worry about it and paid attention to Adam, who had been trying to strike a conversation with the scythe wielder all this time and was failing miserably. All their attempts at small talk were met with silence.

Mira turned her gaze to the black and white horse. It looked horribly sick and laid there, neighing about its pain. Mira was compelled to walk towards it and try to give it a few comforting pets. “Excuse me sir, but is your horse ok-“

But before she could finish her question, the reaper sliced his scythe right in between the horse and Mira. He dragged it through the ground, pushing Mira away with the flat end of the blade. “ **Don’t touch him**!” He shrieked furiously.

The reaper ran to the horse and enveloped it in a tight hug. The angry expression he had on his face was replaced with an extreme sadness. “Oh poor Mister Jeepers! He’s been sick for so long, and he’s getting _worse_!” he moaned and cried. “He won’t eat! He won’t drink! I don’t know what to do!”

The three teens blinked and glanced at each other for a few seconds. It was pretty weird to see Death have a soft side. Adam, who was now next to Mira, realized that exploring this topic might be beneficial to them, “…What’s wrong with…him?” He inquired.

Death only shook his head, “I don’t know…Oh Mister Jeepers! If only you could tell me!” He gently pet Mister Jeeper’s hair. If he wasn’t a skeleton, he would have been crying right now.

A sudden realization clicked in Mira’s mind, “I can talk to animals! I can help you cure Mister Jeepers!” She confessed excitedly. Death stared at Mira in shock, “Do…do you really mean that? You’ll fix him?”

Mira would have instantly replied yes, if a resounding growl from the three teen’s stomachs hadn’t interrupted her. “Yes! We just…need some food and drinks in our system. Then we’ll all be in top shape to help you and…Mister Jeepers.” Adam Spoke with a slight tension in his voice.

The reaper nodded in agreement, “Deal… _but if you can’t cure Mister Jeepers_ …” He warned menacingly as he slid his bony fingers along the top edge of his scythe. A collective gulp came from everyone’s throats; they got the message.

Surprisingly enough Death made the best iced tea they have ever drunk in their life.

Except for Kai, who was only taking tiny sips every few minutes. There were also scones, which Adam and Mira had already eaten a ton of. Kai on the other hand had only eaten half of his first scone within these ten minutes of eating and talking. He was more focused on the dark thoughts that bubbled in his mind.

Death served as their waiter in the makeshift spaceship tiki bar, asking if the scones had “just the right amount of butter” and if the tea “wasn’t too sweet.” It seemed his horsemen begged to differ.

Yeah, Kai’s four horsemen of the apocalypse comment had been right! The one he rode with was Plague, the big burly guy Mira rode with was obviously War, and the raven cloaked skeleton Adam rode with was Famine. Famine and Plague had pretty sharp wits; War on the other hand only really ever shouted his name.

Everything was going pretty great right now, despite Kai having to force himself to eat. Well, as great as he can feel right now, which wasn’t very great at all actually. Now that everything was relaxed and calm, he didn’t really feel…anything. It was better than feeling horrible, or scared, but he sure wasn’t happy.

In fact…The only times he was really “happy” was when he got hurt. Like when he got shocked, or when he broke his nose…weird.

“You’ve barely touched your iced tea Kai! Is it too sweet after all?” The reaper’s sudden question almost scared Kai into oblivion. Man, he must have been really spaced out!

“N-no Death, I’m just…not that hungry or thirsty you know?” His fake smile must have been obvious, because Death sat down next to him with poise, a serious expression on his face.

“If you keep going down this road Kai, you’re going to see me pretty soon…” The reaper deadpanned in a lowered voice.

Kai internally shivered. What the hell was he talking about?

The reaper set down his waiter’s tray on the spaceship table. “You don’t even know what’s wrong with you, do you? It’s understandable, you don’t remember anything about yourself.” The reaper paused for a bit in thought, before continuing. “I’ve seen plenty of people go down your path Kai, some of them make it out alive…some…don’t. Preventing people from dying is the opposite of my job, but I am allowed to warn you.” Kai was sweating. This conversation was making him _really_ uncomfortable.

The reaper sighed, “Just…as any normal person would say, get some help Kai. You can’t keep your depression hidden from them forever.”

Kai froze.

Everything clicked in place.

The negative thoughts, the constant tiredness, the lack of appetite. It all made sense.

Kai was…depressed.

He felt a bit of a weight being lifted off of him. Now that he knew what was wrong, he felt kind of relieved that he could pinpoint that part of himself in an area other than “unknown.”

It didn’t really make him feel better though, if anything, it made him feel worse. Beforehand he wanted to hide these feelings from Adam and Mira simply because he didn’t want to possibly weird them out.

Now he _knew_ he had to hide these feelings from Adam and Mira because _they_ _will_ _freak out_. He had a fucking mental illness for crying out loud. Something like that is detrimental for being in this messed up situation.

He knew Death’s intentions were to get him to consider telling his companions everything, but if anything, it made him consider it _less_. He hid his problems because he wanted too, now he’s hiding them because he has to.

He doesn’t want to burden them with…something like _this_.

Kai took a deep breath and managed a casual smile. “I…don’t know what you’re talking about dude. I’m fine! How on earth could _I_ be depressed?” Death stared at him in silence for a few moments before picking up his tray and standing up. “Alright then Kai…see you soon.” He resumed his job as the waiter, prancing towards Adam and Mira and questioning them about possible refills. Both graciously accepted, laughing and smiling.

Kai gazed at the scene without really paying attention. The dark thoughts continued to fester in his head, but at least he could call it by a name now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so begins Episode 3. Here's your cup of tea today!


	10. Apocalypse II, Vortex

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ever twisting, never ending.

“I…I’m sorry, but I think it might be too late…” Mira told Death with sympathy in her voice.

After they had gotten some food and drinks in their stomach, Mira instantly rushed towards the horse, Mister Jeepers. Three minutes of examining and talking later, Mira spoke those words to Kai, Adam, and the reaper, who observed the entire procedure at a close distance.

Needless to say, Death was pissed. He raised his scythe, ready to slash Mira in half. “ _You said you would heal him_!” He screamed in anger. Adam was quick to react. “W-wait! We’ll heal him! We’ll heal him!” He tried to reassure them with urgency. Thankfully Death lowered his scythe, and the three teens gave a collective sigh of relief.

Death however still looked unconvinced. “But how?” He challenged. Adam frantically glanced in different directions, searching his brain for a possible answer, before hitting his fist against the palm of his other hand in a eureka moment. “The lab!” He exclaimed. “Remember all those vials of medicine? There must be something in there that can cure him!”

“But how do we get from here to there?” Mira questioned the leader, who remained silent, not having an answer.

“I-I mean…Death and his three horsemen have…y’know… _horses_. They could ride us there? You think you could do that Mr. Death sir?” Everyone stared at Kai, who gazed uncomfortably at the reaper’s face, silently begging for an answer. Death, after a few moments, retorted in annoyance. “I’m the grim reaper, _not Larry the travel agent_!” They exaggerated their sigh as they continued, “Besides, only one being can help you escape this world-“

As Death lifted one finger, one of his horsemen came up and whispered something unintelligible in his ear. The reaper then lifted another finger as the horseman walked away. “R-right, two. _But they haven’t met her yet_!” He corrected himself in embarrassment, lowering his tone at the last part.

…Um…what?

Who were they talking about?

Adam asked his question for him, “What are they talking about?” They glanced at Kai and Mira. Mira, who was now standing next to the two teens, thought for a moment before sharing her piece, “I think…maybe they’re talking about the weird guy?” Adam shivered at the mention of… _it_. Kai blinked in confusion. “But who’s that other person they’re talking about?” He asked hesitantly.

“ **I never said she was a person**!” The reaper roared as he raised his scythe at the three teens. They all clung to each other. Mira clutched at Adam’s shirt while Kai wrapped his arms around Adam’s neck. “ **Help**! **Please**!” They all shrieked in unison, although knowing it was futile-

A few moments passed. It was weird…shouldn’t he be feeling different right now? In pain, or like…ghostly? He opened an eye and saw the weird guy himself blocking the scythe, preventing it from lowering any further. Opening his other eye and looking around, he noticed that the tip of the scythe was barely touching Adam’s hair. Kai sighed in relief; they really missed a bullet.

His arms still around Adam, he gently shook the leader who still had his eyes closed. They opened them, saw the scene, and shook Mira, who also opened her eyes.

They all stared awkwardly as Death, who had removed his scythe from above Adam’s head, enveloped the weirdo in a big hug. “Been to long dude! You haven’t changed at all!” The weirdo giggled as he gently hit the reaper’s shoulder. “What’s your secret?”

…Yeah…you don’t want to mess with someone who has a good connection with the reaper of souls. The weirdo just got 2 times more terrifying to the three teens.

Adam gulped. They looked more uncomfortable than him or Mira. “Uh…so, you two know each other?” They tried to muster a casual tone in their voice. The weirdo looked at them, and replied almost as if what Adam asked was a preposterous question. “I know everyone here!”

Yeah…the weirdo was the right nickname name for this guy.

“Soooooo…you guys need my help again?” The weirdo sauntered over to the three teens, putting his hands on his hips as he confidently inquired them. Adam was quick in his response, probably wanting to get this over with based on his slightly annoyed tone, “I need to get back to the lab.” Mira however, thought otherwise. “I should go.” She tried to convince the leader.

The leader however wasn’t having any of this. “No way! Remember the dogs? They’ll tear you apart!” His voice was filled with concern for his “friend.” Kai rolled his eyes. The dude’s love for Mira was so obvious…god his chest hurts.

Mira wouldn’t back down. “But maybe I can reason with them?”

“That’s a pretty big “maybe!””

“But it makes sense for me to go!”

Adam was silent for a few moments as he stared down at the floor and thought hard. “…Then we’ll all go together.” He replied breathlessly.

Death hit the bottom of his scythe against the ground, alerting the three teens with the noise. “No! Only one can go.” He spoke menacingly as his lifted one finger. Adam turned to Mira, who stared at him with a worried look in her eyes. “ _Adam_.” She pleaded.

The leader glared at the floor, before sighing deeply and handing the satchel to Mira. “…Ok, but be careful.” He begged the animal whisper, who nodded with a smile and walked towards Weirdy.

The weirdo seemed very excited, clapping his hands he started to shout excitedly. “All right! Here we go!” In just a few moments his childish persona slipped. “And by we, I mean you.” He pointed at Mira, speaking almost in a menacing matter before almost laughing his head off at the girl’s slightly fearful expression. A quick snap of his fingers and the bright light from before showed up in front of Mira. A glimmering vortex that leaded to where she needed to go.

She clutched onto the satchel and turned to Adam and Kai, giving them a reassuring thumbs up before jumping in. The portal soon disappeared, and the girl was nowhere in sight.

Kai turned his head to Adam, who was staring at where the portal used to be. He looked forlorn, and lost. Kai knew he had to say something or else that expression would continue to stab him in the chest. “Hey…It’ll be alright. Mira’s the coolest chick I know! She’ll be fine.” He spoke softly to them.

Adam turned their head to look at Kai, before smiling sadly. “Thanks Kai…at least I have you…” They sighed out, wrapping one of their arms around Kai’s waist.

And that was when Kai realized that he still had his arms wrapped around Adam’s neck.

_Oh god_ -

Adam must have realized the awkwardness of their predicament as well, because in under 2 seconds both parties separated and faced the opposite direction from each other. Kai could feel the blood rushing to his cheeks.

Adam was the first to break the hanging silence that followed. “…Weirdy went off to eat Death’s scones, right? Maybe we should talk with the…” _guy_ ”…and see if he can give us any info on our situation?” They proposed the scheme stiffly, before turning to Kai with a strained smile. “So…what do you say?”

Kai, who had already turned to Adam when he started to speak, slowly nodded. A slight blush was still present on his face as he fiddled with his fingers and quietly stuttered out, “Y-yeah, sure.”

“You’re here…because you chose to be here.” The weirdo revealed mysteriously.

… _What_.

Adam and Kai had been questioning the dude on a whole lot of things, such as whether they were dead, where they were, and etc. The weirdo only replied with jokes, or rarely with vague answers such as the answer that was given to them now when they asked _why_ they were here.

“What kind of bullshit answer is that-“ He retorted in annoyance, but felt a rough nudge to the right of him and turned towards the direction to see Adam stare at him with his signature “watch your profanity” look. Weirdy only wheezed excessively. “Man dude! You kiss your _mother_ with that mouth?”

The mention of Kai’s mom…unnerved him a bit in a way he really couldn’t understand. He didn’t reply to the weirdo’s question. He was pretty sure it was rhetorical anyways.

Adam decided to continue the discussion for him. “Do you mean that this is our fate? Our destiny?” He questioned the weirdo, who only shrugged, deciding not to say anymore. They twirled in the chair they were lounging on and ate their scones off the wing of an abandoned ship.

The leader sighed in defeat, giving up. “Well…thanks for nothing.” He muttered as he walking away from the wing. Kai followed close behind. The vortex of questions in the two teens heads were never-ending.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From now on I probably won't be updating as regularly as I did before. I will at the very very least try to get one chapter out every week however, so stay tuned!


	11. Apocalypse III, Revelation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kai finds out he's a huge tech nerd.

“Kai…we need to talk.”

“About what?” Kai managed his best clueless voice as he turned to Adam, who had stopped in their tracks and began to stare at him with a distressed expression. _Oh god, here were go_ …

“About what you said back there…before we got kidnapped by the horsemen. I told you we were going to talk about this earlier, remember?” Adam seemed slightly annoyed as he reminded the redhead. Kai looked off to the side for a moment before faking a sudden realization. “Oh yeaaaaah! _That_ moment. I had no idea what you were talking about before.” He turned around and continued shuffling through the spaceship graveyard. He heard Adam quickly catch up with him, and glanced to the left to see them right next to him, staring at him in confusion.

After a brief moment of silence, Adam spoke. “…How are you so _nonchalant_ about this? You told us you thought you were a waste of space-“ The leader’s sentence was interrupted by his excuse. “Because I didn’t mean it Adam. Dehydration makes you say stupid things. I was just…worried about you guys…” He stared at Adam’s face, his slight insecurity at confessing ~~only half of~~ his feelings to the latino was real this time.

He expected to see a small smile, anything that communicated that Adam believed him. Instead he got a stern piercing gaze. “You’re obviously lying.” They deadpanned.

Well fuck. “Why do you think I’m lying?” He asked the leader with a slightly angry tone. Adam retorted instantly, “Because I’m always observing everything around me and even though I’ve only known you for more than 3 hours you’re very easy to read Kai.”

“What about Mira? She believes me!”

“ _I’m not Mira_ , and I bet you even she wasn’t fully convinced!” Well…Adam was _right_.

Kai sighed and massaged his temples. This was not how he thought this was going to go down and now the situation was way too stressful for his liking. “I’m not lying Adam! You’re making too much of a big deal out of this. Why would I even lie to you? We need to trust each other in order to get out of this mess, right?”

He swore the glare Adam gave him was staring into his soul. “You’re right Kai, we do need to trust each other. So why have you been lying to me?! I kind of have to make this a big deal! You said you wanted to _die_ Kai-“

“Adam even I can admit that I can be a bit of a drama king! Our situation was a matter of life and death and I was worried as _fuck_! What could I have done if you two collapsed next? What would have happened if those horsemen didn’t capture us Adam?”

“First of all, Watch your language-“

“And also why do you always glare at me whenever I swear? I didn’t kill anyone Adam! I just said _fuck_ -“

“It’s bad manners! Anyways that’s beside the point-“

“ _Nobody gives a shit Adam_! We’re in the middle of this stupid-ass desert, constantly having to deal with this lost-and-no-memories bullshit! _A lack of_ “ _manners_ ” _is the least of our fucking problems_!”

The two teens had long stopped walking and stood their ground as they relentlessly yelled and argued with each other in the middle of the spaceship graveyard.

Adam was fuming, and seemed to be struggling to keep their voice down. “Kai this was never meant to be an argument-“

“What was this _supposed_ to be Adam?! _You_ were asking for one when you tried to find something that _obviously_ wasn’t there, _like my problems_!” His accusation was filled with venom. He hoped Adam would be backing down soon, because his throat was starting to hurt. He didn’t care if they hated him after this, as long as they didn’t know.

“Kai I just want to help you! I want to make sure you’re ok-“

“ _I don’t need help! I’m fine_!”

“ _But that’s a lie isn’t it_?!”

“ ** _Just shut the fuck up and leave me alone_**!”

A chilling silence followed the red-head’s outburst. Kai’s eyes widened.

He just screamed at Adam.

_Really loudly_.

He tightly shut his eyes and tensed up, preparing for the eventual retaliation. If you scream at someone, you’re going to get screamed at in return. Kai hated getting screamed at, it terrified him.

Instead, he felt a pair of warm arms embrace him. It made him realize how vigorously he was shaking. The tighter the arms squeezed him, the safer he felt, and so Kai slowly relaxed in them.

He knew those arms belonged to Adam. He didn’t know why they were hugging him, especially after what just happened, but he wasn’t complaining. He buried his face into the leader’s shoulder, hoping his blush wasn’t too noticeable.

“Do you really expect me to believe you after this?” Adam spoke softly as they gently pushed Kai away, forcing him to gazed at their face as they clung onto his arms. “I care about you Kai. I really do. The three of us have already been through so much together and…I don’t want _you_ to be hurt.” The emphasize on “you” confused Kai. “…Yeah, the same with Mira right?” He quietly inquired.

Adam stared at him with an unreadable expression. “…Yeah, It’s the same with Mira.” The smile they gave as they said that had sad undertones in it, but it quickly morphed into a serious and concerned expression. “But this isn’t about Mira, this is about _you_.”

Kai felt his heart race as Adam leaned closer to his face. “Please Kai. Tell me what’s wrong. I want to help you. _We_ want to help you.” Their begging made Kai feel even worse about the lie he had to keep up. “…Look…I’m grateful that you want to help me but…there’s nothing about me that needs help. Trust me Adam. I’m fine.” He gave a hopefully convincing smile.

Adam sighed and rubbed his hand against his face, which had a downcast expression. After a few moments of silence, he removed his hand from his face and glared at Kai in distress. “…Alright Kai. But if you’re lying I swear to god-“

“I’m not! Quit being such a worrywart Johnny karate!” He remembered back in the room when he wouldn’t dare think to crack jokes like that…unless he was high on an injury or something. He’s starting to get used to Adam and Mira, especially Adam. This time he wouldn’t even deny it, he was done pretending he didn’t have a major crush on the guy. Now all he had to do was keep it hidden from them.

They had been wandering for around a few minutes. They made some small talk here and there, discussing about things like what the weirdo said, whether Mira was safe, and some miscellaneous stuff.

One such miscellaneous topic was their powers. “You and Mira are pretty cool you know.” Kai spoke lazily. The tense atmosphere from the argument they had had long wore off. “I mean, Mira can talk to animals, you can kick and punch your way out of any situation. I don’t know how I can keep up!” He meant to say it as a joke, but his playful tone must have gone straight through Adam’s brain. “I’m sure you have powers too Kai, you just don’t know it yet.” He said reassuringly as he nudged Kai with his shoulder. “Even if you didn’t, you’re still useful in a lot of ways!”

Kai raised an eyebrow as he stopped and gazed at the leader’s face, putting his hands on his hips. “Yeah? How so?” A long, drawn out silence followed at Adam stood there, scratching the back of his head as he thought long and hard. “…You helped us figure out the map was magic?”

“That was pure luck and you know it.”

“Well…I mean…you were right about the witches?”

“What about the witches?”

“…There was a third one?”

“…Adam if you’re trying to make me feel better about my lack of talent, you’re not doing a very good job.” Kai deadpanned as he turned on his heel and continued shuffling through the spaceship filled desert.

“…B-but you don’t lack talent Kai! You’re amazing!” Knowing that the leader was still behind him, Kai rolled his eyes at their attempt at justification. “Enlighten me Adam, how amazing am I?” He teased them, waiting for the silence that would follow.

“I mean, you’re funny!” …Wait, Adam actually had compliments for him?

“Seriously! You can be pretty witty at times and your smile can really brighten the room-” _Alright this was a mistake_.

“O-oh look! A gyro stabilizer!” Kai pointed at the nearest scrap of metal and ran towards it. Picking it up, he hoped his actions were enough to distract Adam and move the conversation to a different topic. As much as he loved the compliments, he knew he wouldn’t have been able to stop blushing if he let them continue.

The piece of junk was actually pretty heavy, he had to hand it to Adam, who instantly raced over to where he was. The leader inspected the piece of metal, before staring at Kai with a bewildered look on their face. “…What’s a…Gay-ro stabilizer?” Kai mentally cringed at Adam’s mispronunciation. He stared intently at the…no wait…wasn’t that…?

“…Actually, I think that’s an oxidizer valve.” He looked at his surroundings, surveying the thousands of scrap pieces gathered in small piles across the desert floor…only it wasn’t scrap to him anymore. He could name each piece! It just felt…natural to him.

Slowly walking over to one of the piles, he dug through, grabbing out what appeared to be an actual gyro stabilizer. “ _This_ is one!” He stated as he turned to the leader, smiling slightly.

Adam was smiling widely, staring at Kai as if he just won a contest. “Tell me Kai, how do you know about this stuff?” He questioned playfully. Kai blinked, staring at the ground in confusion for a moment, before looking back up and shaking his head. “I don’t know…it just…”

“Seems natural?” Adam finished Kai’s sentence for him, they almost looked proud of him. Kai could feel his chest tighten ever so slightly. Was…was this his superpower? Tech stuff?

Adam sauntered over to the happily surprised red-head. “Hey…Why don’t you try fixing one of these spaceships? Put those new powers of yours to the test!” He challenged Kai, gloating in his victory.

Kai slowly nodded, and picked up a nearby wrench from the ground. A rare, determined look spread on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Apocalypse is going to end soon! Stay tuned folks! and feel free to comment!


	12. Apocalypse IV, Spaceship

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kai flies a spaceship.

The feeling of flying a spaceship was both anxiety inducing and thrilling.

The newly repaired ship slowly landed to the ground. The four horsemen as well as Adam stood at a respectable distance, marveling at the feat.

A few button presses later and the window covering the passenger area lifted up like the rear door of a car. Kai leaned forward against the bottom of where the glass used to be, clutching tightly to it as the adrenaline and mix of emotions were making him quiver.

Adam was quick to run up to him and helped him down to the ground. “Hey? You ok?” The leader asked half in concern and half in amazement as he laughed. Kai shrugged, he was still shaking from the shock, but being next to Adam helped calm him down a bit. “Y-yeah, I’m fine! Adrenaline rush! Just give me a moment to cool down!” Kai almost wheezed out. He couldn’t believe he actually fixed a spaceship! He was sure he would fail halfway through rewiring the high-pressure oxidizer turbo pump gauge but he actually managed to do it-

There was no time to celebrate or relax however, because a strange whirring noise, followed by the screams of a someone very familiar alerted everyone of the portal that appeared far behind them. Mira had returned, her face down on the floor, panting rapidly.

And it seemed a little friend came with her too. Specifically, one of the demon dogs. “Catch!” Mira yelled as she sat up and threw the satchel in their direction.

Adam wrapped one of his arms around Kai and caught the satchel midair, pulling out the bone they used on the witches and readying themselves to strike down the menace if it came close. Kai wondered where that bone went after he passed out, since he remembered holding it beforehand. Now he knew.

Regardless it didn’t matter where the bone _was_ , what mattered was that the hell mutt was racing not at Adam and Kai, or even Mira. Instead it was prancing towards _Death himself_.

This sure as hell couldn’t end well, but he wasn’t sure for who at this point.

The dog jumped and pounced at the reaper, and then started to…lick him?

“Who’s a good devil dog! You are! Yes! You are!” Death cooed as he scratched the dog’s neck. The said dog was very thankful for the scratches, and started barking and yipping. Adam slowly lowered his weapon back inside the satchel, and wore it on his shoulder again.

It wasn’t long before Mira, her teal and green jacket and all, had caught up with Adam and Mira. Still panting for breath, she pointed towards Mister Jeepers. “Adam! The medicine!”

Adam was quick to react. unwrapping his arm from Kai’s waist, he rushed towards the reaper’s steed and crouched down, surfing through the various item’s in the satchel until he brought out a vial filled with a teal liquid. He lifted the horse’s head, and poured half of the vial’s contents into the horse’s open mouth.

After Adam placed the vial back inside the satchel, an uneasy silence followed. Death was approaching; they were sure he wouldn’t wait any longer and would slice them all into pieces in a few seconds.

But then Mister Jeepers started glowing, and slowly stood up. In a few short seconds, the horse looked dark and youthful. It was fully healed and ready for action as it stomped the ground and let out a loud, haunting neigh.

“ _Mister Jeepers_!” The reaper let out a loud cry as they embraced their equine companion. “I was so worried!” He mumbled; the horse neighed softly in response. It was…kind of endearing.

The three teens stood together and watched the display. “I’m…glad I listened to you Mira.” Adam turned to the animal whisperer and scratched the back of his head sheepishly. Mira shrugged and giggled awkwardly as she clutched tightly to her arm. “Yeah…I wish you didn’t.” Kai listened intently to their short exchange. It’s amazing how good their chemistry is…ah, his chest hurts again.

“M-Mr Death Sir? Your horse is cured now right? Does that mean…” Kai trailed off, hoping the reaper would catch on to what Kai was suggesting. Death sighed, and nodded, “Yes, you can leave!” He said in annoyance before he resumed petting his horse.

Everyone gave a collective sigh of relief, that is until Mira turned her head and stared at the other two in confusion. “Wait, where will we go? We have some iced tea and scones packed in the satchel but that won’t last forever!” Mira would have had a point…if it weren’t for the spaceship that Adam pointed to. “Not exactly! Tell her what you did Kai!” Kai glanced at Adam in surprise, it was weird how proud Adam was of him, prouder than he was of himself. “W-well…first I replaced the high voltage oil capacitor-“ Kai would have continued his explanation, but Adam cut him off. “…The short version.” They stated bluntly.

Oh, “…I-I fixed a spaceship.” He explained quietly, shifting his gaze all over the place. Even though he said it out loud he could hardly believe it himself. This all felt so unreal to him right now.

Mira was shocked, to say the least. “You _what_!?” She squeaked out. “ _No_! No way!” She was smiling and giggling in amazement. Adam was quick to reply. “Yes way! Get in and see for yourself!”

A few minutes later, Adam and Mira were safely buckled in their passenger seats. The captain’s seat was between the two more to the front, where all the buttons and levers were. Kai could name each and every one and recall what they did.

“Might want to hurry up before Death changes his mind!” Adam warned from the back. “Yeah, hold on a sec!” Was all he said in reply.

Let’s see…pull this lever here, press a few buttons there- oh! make sure to press _that_ button. That could have ended horribly. One more lever to pull and…they’re off!

The desert floor rolled pass them, on and on, never-ending. That is until it did end. They passed the edge of a cliff and from there it was only ocean, ocean, and more ocean. Kai felt…somewhat amazing right now. He was actually doing something useful for once!

Mira was captivated by the view. She stared continuously, jumping ever so slightly if she thought she saw a whale or any other sea creatures. Kai had to ask Mira to get her hands off the glass, an action she performed sheepishly. This may not have been Kai’s ship at first, but it’s _his_ baby now. He doesn’t want any hand prints on it.

Adam was equally memorized by the ocean, but was also rather tense, clasping on to the armrests. “It’s ok Adam, I’m mostly sure I know what I’m doing.” Kai tried to reassure him and get him more relaxed. Adam slowly nodded and exhaled, extending his legs and leaning back against the chair-

And then Adam accidentally kicked the metal box that was next to him. The force disconnected it from its pipe. 0.3 seconds later, the ship was malfunctioning.

“…Adaaaaaaam what did you do?!” Kai frantically asked in distress as he turned his head to find the leader staring back at Kai with equal amounts of distress. “I-I think I broke something?!”

Kai felt his brain short circuiting. He tried to go towards the metal box to see if it could be fixed, but his hands were shaking like crazy, making it almost impossible to unbuckle himself. He started hyperventilating as he began pushing random buttons, hoping that something would stop the spaceship from crashing into the water below.

“Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck-” Adam for once didn’t bother to scold Kai for his language, he was busy trying to forcefully put the box back in its place and failing miserably. Mira meanwhile tightly clutched her sweatpants in fear, staring out the window with wide eyes as they fell closer and closer to the ocean.

The force of the sudden stop as they crashed through the ocean surface almost knocked them all out. They were sinking deeper and deeper underwater, and the spaceship was filling up fast.

Kai knew of only one button he hadn’t pressed, the emergency escape button. “ _Hang on guys_!” He screeched as he smashed the button, causing the glass window protecting them to lift up. Everyone’s seats shot up almost to the surface, before slowly sinking back down. Adam and Kai managed to unbuckle themselves and swim the rest of the way up.

After a few quick gasps, Adam began looking around, almost as if he couldn’t find something. “Where’s Mira?!” He questioned loudly, as the waves crashing against the nearby shore were almost deafening.

Oh shit. _Mira_.

They quickly dove back down and frantically swam deeper and deeper. Kai pointed at a certain direction, and both turned their heads to find Mira sinking deeper and deeper into the ocean, unable to unbuckle herself from the chair she was sitting on.

The two boys tried to get closer to Mira, but the sinking chair was faster, and Mira soon stopped struggling. Her eyes rolled up, and the darkness below consumed her.

_No_.

**_Nonononononononononononono_** -

He would have swum deeper, but something grabbed his arm and pulled him up, preventing him from saving his friend.

As he reached the surface, he began screaming bloody murder, begging whatever was forcing him to the shore to let him go. _Please_! _He needs to go down there_! _She’s in trouble_!

But they didn’t let go, they forced him on his knees and embraced him from behind tightly, preventing him from kicking or pushing away. He knew who it was. It was Adam that was holding him back.

“Kai… _please_. There’s nothing we can do.” They sounded like they were going to cry. Kai stopped struggling and lowered his head, staring blankly at the sand they sat on.

Perhaps in a different world he would have blamed Adam for destroying the ship, but no, it wasn’t Adam’s fault.

It was _his_.

He should have checked that part of the ship. Made sure it was secure and safe. If he had actually used his newfound talent properly, _if he had actually been smart for once since he had woken up_ , this wouldn’t have happened.

_He doesn’t deserve any of the praise he’s been given_. _He’s nothing but a **pathetic piece of trash** that **deserves** to be **trampled** on and **thrown away**_. _He was **worthless**_. **_Absolutely worthless_**. _He couldn’t even save his own friend_.

**_It should have been him_**.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy 2020 new year folks. Let's hope some more info on the Hollow season 2 comes up! Enjoy the end of the Apocalypse!


	13. The Lighthouse I, Temptation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Just once," He always says that.

Kai was tired.

Not in the “I want to sleep” way. More like the “ _I wish I didn’t exist_ ” way.

Mira was gone.

_Mira was gone_.

**_Mira was gone and it was all his fault_**.

He lay on his side next to Adam, who had been sitting with him for the past 5 minutes, his hands covering his face. Based on the shaking of his shoulders and the occasional hitching noises, he was likely crying.

Kai had no tears; he didn’t feel anything.

He was _nothing_ , _empty_ , like a newly bought garbage bin. Even if it smelled normal, it was still a _garbage bin_.

That’s what he was, _garbage_.

He had to go to the bathroom, but he desperately didn’t want to get up. _At all_.

But he managed to stand up…somehow. His head felt dizzy and his vision became blurry for a lot longer than it normal did when he stood up. He didn’t care.

“…Toilet.” He muttered as he lazily grasped the satchel Adam was wearing, pulling it gently in hopes of getting their attention. It worked. Adam quickly wiped his eyes, and sniffled a bit before nodding at Kai. “…Ok, be careful.” He spoke with as much composure as he could…which wasn’t a lot considering what happened.

Kai only moaned in response, taking the satchel with him as he climbed up the nearby pathway to a forest.

Taking a moment to look at his surroundings, he saw nothing but a devastated Adam curled up on the beach, and then ocean. They either landed near mainland, or on some huge island.

Kai didn’t care anymore; he didn’t even bother to look at the map.

He wandered through the forest for about a few minutes. He stopped, searched around, and found the nearest bush to do his business in. He was thankful for the toilet paper Mira snagged back at the witch’s kitchen.

Oh yeah, Mira was _dead_.

Kai had to remind himself that. Sometimes he thought he heard her voice, shouting about how she was fine, and that she was actually a mermaid or something. Was Kai going insane? Probably. He didn’t care anymore.

He started to look around forlornly, trying to find which direction he came from. His eyes settled on something that interested him far more than going back to Adam.

It was a cliff.

He walked towards it and looked down. It was pretty high up. If he fell down, he figured it would be enough to kill him. If it wasn’t, then it’d be enough to knock him out and _then_ it would kill him from drowning…

_He wanted to_ _jump_.

_He wanted to jump **so bad**_.

But something was stopping him, well, more like someone. If he died, what would Adam have? They’re just as shaken up about this as he is. He shouldn’t be so selfish or idiotic.

He collapsed onto a nearby tree. He wouldn’t do it; Adam needs him right now. Even then however everything was still empty. It hurt so bad, to be empty. Why couldn’t he cry? Why does he feel like he’s suffocating? _Why won’t the thoughts stop_?

He dug his nails into his arm so hard that a tiny amount of blood trickled from where he put the pressure. A small, sharp pain shot through the wound.

_Kai felt relief_.

He also felt dread. He knew why he always felt weird after getting hurt now. He instantly knew after his talk with death. He’d heard the stories about what self-harm can do, how addictive it can be, how amazing it can feel…And how dangerous it was.

But…what did they know about _him_? _He can control it_. _He’ll only do it once, just once_. _He just wants the pain to **stop**_.

With shaking hands, he surfed through the satchel until he came upon the first aid kit. He pulled it out, searched through the satchel some more, and came upon the knife.

The knife had a covering over it so that when anyone tried to stick their hand in the satchel, they wouldn’t get cut. Mira was smart _. Mira was also **dead** but he had to focus_. He slowly pulled the knife covering off, and stared at his reflection from the blade.

He looked _awful_. His hair was a mess, his eyes had major bags under them, and his skin was deathly pale.

He checked what was inside the first aid kit. The first thing he saw was bandages, so he stopped looking. It was all he needed.

He breathed in deeply, and then exhaled sharply. Slowly, he brought the sharp end of the blade to his arm-

“Kai?! I think I know what’s going on! We’re not dead!”

_Oh shit_ -

Kai scrambled to get everything back in the satchel. In the process, he accidentally sliced his arm with the tip of the knife. He winced, dropping the knife and clutching to the wound for a few seconds. He had no time for this; Adam was approaching _fast_.

By the time Adam reached Kai, he had the satchel leaning neatly among the trees. The knife and first aid kit had been stuffed in. Kai himself sat next to the satchel, staring at Adam in slight confusion has he hid his injured arm behind his back. “Tell that to Mira.” He mumbled. Adam didn’t hear his retort.

“Listen, Kai. I saw my reflection in the water and guess what! It was reversed!” The deep bags under the leader’s eyes didn’t help him look less crazy. Kai stood up and picked up the satchel with his good hand, handing it back to Adam. They took the satchel gratefully and continued on with their rant. “I think we might be in some sort of parallel universe or something! Think about it, it would explain our powers! It would also explain what that weird guy said, maybe we’re “heroes of destiny” or something, like from those fantasy books-“

“ _Adam, Mira’s fucking dead_!” Kai croaked out. Perhaps earlier he would have marveled at Adam’s theory, but it was _just too soon_. “If this is your weird way of coping then leave me out of it, ok? I’m not in the mood.”

A piercing silence hanged between them. “…Yeah…I’m sorry Kai…” Adam began his apology, choosing to ignore the swear word for now. Kai only nodded and lifted his hand up to massage one of his temples, sighing deeply. “I just thought that if we could get our minds off of what happened, then may…be...” Adam trailed off for some reason, staring with wide eyes at one of Kai’s arms.

His injured arm.

The sleeve must have loosened down when he lifted it closer to his head. _Oh shit_ -

He quickly began pulling the sleeve up, only for Adam to grab his arm and force the sleeve down. The tiny wounds from his nail, as well as the long, deeper knife wound sliding across below them were apparent on his pale skin. Blood was slowly gushing out of the knife wound.

“…W-what? Who…or what did this Kai? A-are you ok? Can you…“ Adam frantically asked question after question, he looked absolutely _terrified_. Kai was internally freaking out. Shit! Think of an excuse think of an excuse think of an excuse-

“I-I was trying to find a spot to…y’know? And I…I accidentally brushed my arm against a thorn bush! The smaller pricks were easy to deal with but one thorn managed to dig in deep. It was so sharp it slid across my skin like…that…when I tried to free it…” He pointed at the “thorn wound” that was still bleeding. Faking a sheepish smile, he continued on, “I-It’s really not that bad! I can handle it-“

But Adam already forced Kai to sit on the ground. They rummaged through the satchel and pulled out the first aid kit. A bit of fumbling through that, and then they pulled out the bandage.

Adam’s wrapping was sloppy, but it was tight, and did the job. They managed to rip off the correct amount needed with just their strength instead of using the knife. Good, he wouldn’t know how to explain the possible blood stain on it. He’ll need to clean it later while they weren’t looking.

Even after Adam did his job, he just sat there, tightly clinging to Kai’s arm and staring at it with a fearful and saddened look. “…Please be more careful Kai…we just lost Mira, and I _refuse_ to lose you too.” He whispered pathetically. It was the most vulnerable Kai had seen him.

Kai breathed in, and then out. The tense situation was fading away. Kai could finally comprehend and feel the high he got from the cut he made, even if it was accidental. He didn’t feel _great_ , but he sure did feel _better_.

With his now clear head, he slowly pulled Adam into a gentle and comforting hug; they instantly returned the gesture, albeit it was more needy and tight. They sat there in silence in each other’s arms, listening to the crashing of the waves below.

“Adam? Kai?”

…Huh? Who was that?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And this is the chapter where I will change the fic to M rated. Of course I'll gladly put it back to T rated if enough people say it's cool. Hope you mildly enjoy the new chapter!


	14. Mira

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mira remembers the shack.

She was searching through the shack, opening the drawers and shuffling through the folders.

She was…concerned to say the least.

Kai and Adam’s argument looked like some lover’s quarrel at first, but the way Kai broke down at the end scared Mira, and it seemed to have scared Adam too.

“…I think my yelling freaked him out.” Adam confessed once Kai got out of earshot. Mira stopped searching through the junk to look at Adam. “…But why? I know I don’t freak out when someone yells at me like that. At least…not in the way Kai did.” She tapped her nails on the wooden desk behind her.

Adam looked…a bit shaken up, at least that’s what she remembers. “I don’t know…I mean…maybe he has _issues_?” He guessed with a worried face. Mira raised an eyebrow in confusion, “…Like, “ _issues_ ” issues. _Trauma issues_?” She tilted her head as Adam nodded yes. “I mean, he did look like he was triggered, but we have no memories! If there’s no memory than what is there to be traumatized about?”

Adam stared blankly at nothing in particular. “…I mean, amnesia isn’t that clear cut, you know?” He rubbed one of his hands against his face. “I mean, we still have ourselves? If we have no memories than how can we act the way we do now? Wouldn’t we all be boring husks with no personality whatsoever? See? That logic doesn’t make any sense.”

Mira thought for a moment, before slowly nodding. “Ah, I think I get what you’re implying.” A small silence hanged in the room, before disappearing as she clapped her hands together in a sudden realization. “Or maybe our memories are simply repressed rather than gone?”

Adam looked to the side, before staring back at Mira and nodding with a smile. “Yeah, that seems more likely. I mean I’m not an expert but…regardless, I’m going to try to keep my voice down around him from now on. I don’t want to see him like that again…” The leader looked out the window, a saddened look spread across his face.

Mira giggled, “That seems like it’ll be difficult! I can tell you’re a naturally loud person.” Her attempt at lightening the mood was a success, as Adam laughed a bit in return and resumed surfing through the contents of a shelf. Mira herself began looking through the drawers again.

Despite the fact that they’ve all only known each other for around an hour, they were already beginning to connect with each other. Adam was cool, confident, and honestly everything she found attractive in a guy. Kai on the other hand felt more like a little brother to her. He was normally quiet and reserved, but recently she saw a different side of him after he got shocked by the fence. Maybe it unscrewed a few things in him or something, because suddenly she was presented with a more confident and excited Kai. It gave him a quirky charm that Mira found to be adorable.

So…if the poor boy had any problems, if anyone had hurt him in the past, then Mira would absolutely want to help him. It was too soon to be sure though, and she didn’t want to make him uncomfortable, so she’ll let it slide for now. She assumed Adam would do the same.

She abruptly stopped searching through the drawers, because a memory suddenly appeared in her mind.

“ ** _You should have just let me fucking die! Why do you even care about me!? I’m a waste of space_** -“

Wait…didn’t Kai say that back in the desert?

A wave of more memories flushed through her mind. She felt her heart clench in misery.

She knew that something was wrong with Kai. He hardly ever ate or drank, and his reserved nature now appeared to be low self-esteem.

She felt horrible however that it wasn’t her who noticed these things, it was Adam who noticed, and then told her about it at the desert while Kai was out of earshot. She _needed_ to pay more attention.

His suspicious excuse didn’t fully calm her nerves either. She hoped Adam would feel the same way.

They both want to help him so bad, but he was so damn stubborn and refused to talk to them about it. It was driving her mad.

_She didn’t know what to do_ …

_Wait_ … _why was she in the shack_? They were all in the _spaceship_ and then…

Mira woke up to a dark abyss. Her hair waved in different directions, and she breathed in a big chunk of water.

In front of her was what looked to be a glowing eel, and based on the torn material in his mouth, he had eaten up Mira’s seat-belt.

There was no time to think about what happened. Her last memory was of Adam and Kai’s anguished faces as she sunk into the ocean, and she’s sure they’re still in anguish now.

She needs to know if they’re both ok. Adam because no matter how hard he tried to hide it, he was way too hard on himself sometimes. Kai didn’t even need to be explained.

They were her friends, and they needed her.

She thanked the eel for helping her free, and quickly began to swim upwards. Soon she began to move her legs like a mermaid, and she swam even faster as a result.

It wasn’t long before she broke through the surface. Breathing in air once more, she kept her head afloat and thought of everything that just happened.

Apparently she was Ariel, the underwater Disney princess. She might as well start singing about how she wants to be like the people above.

_Or_ she could sing about how she needs to make sure the people above are _ok_. She quickly swam to what she assumed was where the boys landed, based on the human like footprints on the sand.

Boy were they going to be shocked about this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Each of the 6 teens will have a special filler/explanation chapter dedicated exclusively to them, in their point of view. I won't tell you where each one will come, I will say that Kai's special chapter comes at the very end though, second to last chapter.
> 
> I was gone for so long I decided to give ya'll two chapters, this is the first. Enjoy!


	15. The Lighthouse II, Boat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nice boat.

Kai couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

Mira was standing far in front of them, clutching onto a nearby tree as she stared at them with worry. She looked completely drenched. Some seaweed was even stuck in her hair.

“…Oh god, guys? Are you ok?” She called out in concern. There was no response, instead Adam abruptly stood up and ran towards Mira, enveloping her in a hug. She looked shocked for a moment, before returning the embrace and gently patting Adam in the back, as Adam had begun to sob silently.

Kai only sat there, clutching his bandage wrapped arm as tears escaped from his eyes. His vision quickly blurred, and he slowly lowered his quivering upper body to the ground.

Mira was ok.

_Mira was ok_!

**_But he still almost killed her_**.

“ _I…I’m sorry! I’m so sorry_!” He wailed out and shut his eyes tightly, resting his head against the dirt floor. He couldn’t look at her, he was too _pathetic_ to look at her right now.

When he felt a hand touch his shoulder, he flinched. He didn’t want them to touch _garbage_ like him. He caused both of them such useless turmoil. _He didn’t deserve the comfort_.

“Kai? What are you sorry about?” It sounded like Adam, who seemed to be both distress and confused. This time he didn’t flinch when the same hand, who he assumed was Adam’s, landed on his shoulder. He was too busy trying to suck all his tears back into his eyes, if that was even possible. He realized how stupid he was for divulging his feelings like this in front of them. He was only burdening them.

He felt another hand on his other shoulder. It was smaller, and more refined, so he assumed it was Mira’s hand. “Yeah Kai, it isn’t your fault!” Her voice was reassuring as she gently squeezed his shoulder.

_No_! He didn’t want anyone to _justify_ him. He quickly shot his upper body up, staring at the two teens with shame and misery. He started yelling, “But it was! If I had checked the ship over and made sure everything was well intact then this wouldn’t have-“

Kai was interrupted by a shocked and distress Adam, who still had tear stains on his face, “No Kai, Mira’s right! It isn’t your fault! If anything, it’s my fault! I’m the one who knocked the box out of its place-“

Adam was then interrupted by Mira, who put her other hand on Adam’s shoulder. “Adam this isn’t your fault either. No one is at fault here! It was a simple accident!” Kai and Adam were silenced by Mira’s calming tone. “Even if I…hadn’t have survived, I would never blame you two. You both tried your best.”

Adam slowly smiled. “We’re just…glad you’re ok Mira. You _need_ to tell us how you survived!” Mira giggled at Adam’s demand. “With time, but first…” She spread her arms out, motioning the two boys to hug her. “I think we all need cuddles right now. Get over here boys!”

While Adam was quick to do as Mira said, Kai was hesitant. Even after her reassurance Kai couldn’t help but still feel guilty and responsible. She may be here now, but the what ifs still hanged in his mind.

He slowly rubbed his bandage wrapped arm. He could already feel the high slowly but surely fading away as these doubts and thoughts started to brew inside him-

“Kai get your butt in this group cuddle or I will drag you in it myself!” Mira scolded the redhead. Kai was startled at the sudden noise; he must have spaced out? Regardless he knew better than to ignore his friend, and reluctantly joined the group hug. At least he was warm now, the wind was as cold as Antarctica.

After Mira’s explanation, Kai jokingly suggested changing her name to Ariel.

Considering his high was almost gone at this point, it took him a third of his soul to even say the joke out loud. He was prepared for the disappointed glances and the awkward silence. Instead Adam started to jokingly sing _under the sea_. It was half-hearted at first but when Mira, and even Kai himself started clapping along he went all out, fake Jamaican accent and all.

Kai clapped along because he hadn’t really seen Adam goof off since he met them, in fact no one had really bothered to goof around that much after they woke up since they were all so focused on trying to get home. They all needed this. They were still teens after all.

They had been walking around this forest for about 30 minutes now. They might have gone in circles, but they were all too busy reenacting Disney songs to notice…well except Kai, who just quietly listened and giggled along. That’s how he noticed. He decided not to say anything.

“Hey Kai, you haven’t sung anything yet! What’s the first Disney song you can think of!” Adam had stopped in place and called for the redhead, making him jump in surprise. “Yeah, preferably something we haven’t sung yet!” Mira added on to Adam’s playful comment with a smile.

Kai felt his brain slowly starting to fry, “O-oh…um…I-I can’t sing-“ He replied nervously, only for Adam to saunter up to him and slap him on the back. “Come on Kai, anyone can sing!” They smirked at the boy with reassurance, making Kai gulp as a familiar warmth spread across his cheeks. Adam was so hot. _Oh god_ -

“You don’t have to sing if you don’t want to! Just know that we won’t judge you Kai. We’re all in the same boat after all.” Mira turned her gazed toward him, a comforting tone in her voice.

Well…They _were_ in the same boat so-

Wait…is that an actual boat in the distance?

…And is that a lighthouse next to it?

Kai pointed in the direction of what appeared to be a large, concrete lighthouse. It took a while for Adam and Mira to realize he was even pointing at something. Contrasting his friend’s shocked faces when they did eventually see the lighthouse, his face was completely blank.

After Kai’s encounter with Death, a lighthouse wasn’t going to surprise him all that much.

A _fucking cyclops_ coming out of the said lighthouse would though.

Kai shrieked in fear and hid behind Adam, clasping their shoulders and peeking out from the side with a scared look. He could have sworn for a moment he felt Adam tense a bit at the contact, or maybe it was because he saw the cyclops as well. Mira also ran behind Adam, but didn’t touch him, she only cowered behind him and stared in horror at their possibly new menace.

“ **What you want**!” The cyclops roared in annoyance as he raised his fists. Their large sickly colored hands looked like it could smash through steel. Kai didn’t flinch at that however, he flinched at the loud noise they made. He shut his eyes, removing his hands from Adam’s shoulders to cover his ears. _They were yelling at him way too loud_! _Way way way too loud_!

Kai felt someone’s arm tightly wrapping around his waist, and he opened an eye to glance at the culprit. It was Adam. He saw them staring at him with a worried expression before shifting their gaze at the cyclops, their face morphing from distressed to _furious_. They placed their hand on the bone in the satchel, preparing to strike the monster at any second.

Mira saw Adam’s stance and quickly interjected. “We mean no harm! We’re lost and we want to go home!” She tried reasoning with the brute, who only roared even louder, causing himself to flinch more and Adam to hold him tighter.

“Please! We just want to use your light house!” Usually at this point Mira would have given up and let Adam do the talking, but Adam was way too ticked off to think rationally. He looked like he would pounce at the monster any second. She was the only voice of reason right now.

The cyclops stopped its intimidation, thank god, and gazed at them with confusion. “…What you mean _light_ house?” Even his normal voice was rather loud. The monster walked towards his light house and…tried to pull it up from its foundations.

… _ah_ …

By the time the cyclops turned to look at them, the frightful mood had mostly disappeared. “See? _Heavy_ house! Not _light_!” Kai internally screamed at the comment. What the hell was this? This wasn’t fair! You can’t make a gigantic one-eyed ogre an adorable dunce!

Mira was tightly biting her lip, trying her hardest not to laugh, or cry, Kai was guessing both. “…M-Mr. cyclops? Have you ever turned on the _big light_ up in your house?” She struggled to say with a straight face, making hand motions as if she was playing charades. The cyclops shook his head, “No! Big light broken!” He stated.

…

“Oh yeaaaaaah! That why ships smash!” His eyes widened with a sudden realization as he pointed across the lighthouse deck to the ocean deep below. Various different ships and ferries were scattered all over the place, broken and shattered. The three teens stared blankly at the scene.

“I _hate_ the sound of smashing ships and sailors yelling, “ **Help**! **Help**!” …Can’t sleep!” He stated loudly in annoyance. It seems they found an opportunity?

At least Adam thought so. He hadn’t said much all this time, but he seemed mostly calm now to resume his leadership position. “Well then Mr. Cyclops, you just might be in luck! Kai over here can help fix your light!” He motioned his head to the nervous and confused red-head. A confident tone in his voice.

The cyclops turned his head towards Kai and smiled brightly. “ **Really**!? **You help**!?” Kai almost instinctively covered his ears again at the noise, but controlled himself halfway and shakily muttered, “…Y-yes.” as he lowered his hands. Doubt however still gathered deep inside his mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here's the next chapter. Enjoy and feel free to comment if you want.
> 
> You could probably call this the most wholesome chapter so far.


	16. The Lighthouse III, Kraken

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mira makes a friend; Kai and Adam freak out.

Kai was slightly fascinated by how quickly Mira could swim.

Him and Adam were inside the little wooden boat they saw by the lighthouse. The bulb inside needed to be replaced, and the three of them couldn’t think of a better replacement than the spaceship’s headlights.

That’s why Mira was currently tied to the boat by her waist, pulling it along towards the estimated location of their crash site.

Adam was rather chill, laying his head against one of the seats and sunbathing contently. As for him, he discreetly rubbed is fingers against his bandaged arm.

He felt empty again, the normal empty he usually felt, before Mira almost died. Normally he would have ignored it, but now that he actually knew a way to get rid of the feeling, or lack of feelings, and get better…he…

He just wished he could find a way to be alone with the satchel and _cut_ again…he desperately hated himself for even feeling that way. He did say only once! He had to keep his word.

He couldn’t stop thinking about it though. He glanced at the satchel every once and awhile nervously, hoping to god Adam wasn’t paying attention, and wouldn’t get too suspicious of him.

Kai was torn between two opinions. One side said he made a big mistake, and the other said he made the best decision of his life. Well, at least since he first woke up. His inner battle was making him anxious…and also…very nauseous?

No, Kai was just sea-sick. He clasped his hands over his mouth and tried his best to hold down the vomit in his throat, curling up in a ball and staring at anything other than the sea they were surfing on.

The boat slowed to a halt, and Mira swam towards the side of the boat, untying the rope around her waist. “I think this is the spot. Be right back guys.” She stated simply before diving into the water, disappearing from their sight.

Adam, who briefly sat up to listen to what Mira had to say, was about to ease back into relaxing…until he saw Kai’s predicament. “…Hey…you ok Kai?” He seemed generally worried, sitting back up and scooting closer to Kai. Kai only nodded a yes, that is, until he couldn’t hold it in anymore. He threw half of his body over the boat and hurled the little food and water that was in his stomach. He only threw up for about 10 seconds, actually; the rest was just dry heaving.

As he went through the agonizing process of throwing nonexistent chunks, He felt one of Adam’s hands slowly rubbing his back in a comforting motion. He heard various phrases such as “It’s ok.” And “I got you.” From the concerned leader.

30 seconds passed before he was back to normal, although he felt absolutely awful when it was over. His skin looked deathly pale, and he felt _so weak_. He leaned against Adam once he was done, he couldn’t support himself.

As he rested his head against Adam’s chest, he thought he heard them searching through the satchel. What for though? He wondered. Fully opening his half-shut lids, he beheld the leader pulling out a bag full of Death’s scones, as well as some bottled iced tea and a snack Mira snagged from the witch’s kitchen.

“You gonna eat?” He muttered lazily to them. He just wanted to start some sort of conversation. What just happened to him was kind of embarrassing, and he wanted to put it out of his mind.

“No, _you_ are.” They pulled the scone out of the bag, handing it to Kai. “Come on, eat up!” They attempted to encourage him. Kai was the exact opposite of encouraged though. He slowly scooted away from Adam and began to think of an excuse “Ah…um…I’m not hungry-“

“Kai don’t think I wasn’t paying attention back in the desert. You didn’t eat any of the snacks Mira got, and I only saw you eat half a scone! Not to mention how little you drank. No wonder you passed out!” They scolded him, almost motherly like. Kai _really_ didn’t want to eat, but he couldn’t think of anything to get himself out of the situation. “Kai, _eat_.” Adam commanded as they shoved the scone in his hands. Kai only sighed and took a small bite, chewing slowly. He forced himself to eat quicker when he realized that Adam was watching him, and probably would continue to do so until he was finished.

After three scones and a bottle of iced tea, Kai felt significantly better. Adam suggested to breath in through his nose and shut his eyes in case he felt another wave of nausea. A silence hanged between the two, Adam continued to sunbathe, and Kai leaned against the edge of the boat, staring at his bandaged arm that he twirled and danced around the water surface.

God, what was taking Mira so long?

Speak of the devil, there she appeared, right next to Kai’s hand. He squeaked in shock and instinctively ran to Adam, clutching to the leader like his life depended on it. Mira steadied the shaking boat, and gazed at Kai “It’s just me Kai!” She reassured him. Kai slowly unlatched himself from Adam, who was completely stiff. Their head faced the opposite direction of Kai, making it hard to see their expression.

Mira turned her head to Adam and called for him. “Hey Adam, I’m having trouble getting the window off the headlight, can you help me pull it off?” Adam turned his head to Mira, and nodded in agreement. “…Yeah, let’s get this started!” Kai noticed that their cheeks seemed just a tad bit red.

He rolled his eyes. Figures, Adam must be completely entranced by Mira’s appearance. He himself thought she looked beautiful right now with her drenched hair and pretty eyes. Why wouldn’t Adam think so too, especially since he clearly had a crush on her?

He tightly clutched his chest. He was so tired of feeling to insecure and horrible. He wanted it to _stop_.

Just before Adam could jump off the boat, he grabbed the satchel hanging from their shoulder. “Ah! You should probably leave the satchel here. Don’t want anything in there to get more wet!” He hoped he wasn’t being too suspicious.

Adam raised an eyebrow; he looked a bit uncomfortable. Kai could see why; the satchel was Adam’s thing. He wouldn’t be too happy to leave it behind. Despite that, they removed the satchel from their shoulder, handing it to Kai. “…Alright. I’ll be back in 2 minutes, unless I can hold my breath for longer.” Adam and Mira sunk into the water, disappearing from Kai’s sight.

2 minutes, _go_.

Kai frantically opened the satchel and searched through for the knife and first aid kit. He shakily removed the bandage from his arm, which wasn’t hard since it was so sloppily wrapped. opening the first aid kit, he brought out the bandage wrap and unrolled it to the estimated best length, cutting it off with the unsheathed knife.

After shoving the bandage wrap back in the first aid kit and forcing _that_ back into the satchel, Kai was ready. He picked up the knife, and slowly made a long, but shallow cut along his arm. At least shallower than the cut he made on accident.

Kai let the pain sweep through him, bringing him instantaneous relief. _God he felt so good_. He made two more shorter cuts, closer to the older, healing cuts. He basked in the high, his head completely clear and his chest completely free.

He soon realized he had no time. Adam could show up at any minute, and there’s no good excuse for being seen like _this_. He sheathed the knife without cleaning it, and shoved it back into the satchel. He then began to sloppily wrap his now bleeding arm with the bandages. He was even worse at it than Adam, which was saying a lot.

By the time Kai was almost finished, Adam had shot up from the surface. He lifted himself into the boat, and quickly scooted towards Kai.

Luckily the fresh cuts were already covered. Adam raised an eyebrow in confusion. “…I could have changed the bandages for you?” They stated as they grabbed the satchel and wore it around their shoulder once more.

For the first time in a while, Kai truly smiled. “Nah! I can do it myself! Don’t worry so much karate kid!” He replied in jest as he jabbed at Adam’s shoulder. Adam laughed in return and wrapped his arm around Kai’s waist, bring him close. Kai felt his heart race with excitement. Everything was just _amazing_ right now.

“…So, did you manage to get the window off for Mira?” He relaxed onto Adam’s body. He didn’t care for a concrete answer, he just wanted to talk. “Yeah, I was running out of air by the time I did, so I had to leave it to Mira to get the actual bulb out.” Adam casually explained. “She’ll probably come up pretty soon and ask for my help again.”

“You like her, don’t you? She seems like your type.” He knew this topic would bring him down, but he needed answers. He didn’t want to entertain this little fantasy any longer.

Adam stared at him in…shock? He seemed almost a bit uncomfortable at the accusation. “…Yeah…um…Mira isn’t really my type.”

Needless to say, Kai was surprised. “Seriously? You guys seem to have some good chemistry going on!” Adam only shrugged in reply.

A few moments of silence passed; Kai was the first to break it. “…So…what is your type then? Tall chicks? Brunettes?” He asked them with caution. This was getting into personal territory.

“…Actually, I’m more into guys…girls aren’t really my thing.”

… _What_?

**What**!?

Kai felt his heart jump in excitement. Did…did Kai actually have a _chance_? **Holy shit**!

“Ah…so you’re gay?”

“…Yeah…what about you? Is Mira _your_ type or something? Wanted to make sure you didn’t have competition?” Adam smirked at him, asking the question in a joking manner. Kai didn’t bother to hide the blush that spread on his face. “Well, I mean, I like girls but…I also like boys. I think I’m bisexual?” Kai gazed at Adam’s face, which morphed into one of surprise. “Besides that, Mira _is_ pretty, but I don’t really like her _that_ way.”

”…Ok then. Cool!” Adam spoke nonchalantly and removed their arm from around his waist, using it to pat him reassuringly on the back. Kai couldn’t help but beam at them. He was glad Adam was supportive-

Suddenly, a ginormous octopus rose from the waters’ depths, nearly flipping the boat over. Kai and Adam shrieked bloody murder as they clung to each other in terror.

And then the kraken lifted up one of its tentacles…which Mira was sitting on happily. The tentacle lowered towards the ship, allowing her to easily walk into the boat. “Sorry for startling you guys!” She apologized and smiled sheepishly. “But Ozzy here helped me out quite a bit! He pulled out the light bulb for me!” She motioned towards one of “Ozzy’s” submerged arms, which raised up, revealing the giant light bulb in all its glory.

Kai had seen it all at this point.

“Ozzy” threw the giant light bulb into the boat, nearly crushing Adam and Kai in the process. They clutched the sides like their life depended on it as the boat shook from the force.

Before they knew it, Mira had tied herself back to the boat. “Hang on guys!” She yelled before pulling it back towards the light-house. Kai estimated they would reach it by night-time, since the sun was already halfway through setting. The view was breathtaking.

He glanced at Adam, seeing them look at the same view in awe. “Y’know…we may be lost, but it’s the little things like this that make the situation a bit more bearable.” Adam turned his gaze towards Kai, smiling softly at him and pointing towards the sunset. Kai returned the smile and nodded. He couldn’t help but agree.

For the first time since he woke up, he felt pure peace. He didn’t know how long it would last, but he was going to enjoy every second of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here's your dose of Kaidam. Stay tuned!


	17. The Lighthouse IV, Tree

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fucking wimp.

“…Kai? How’s it going with the light?”

“I’m almost done Adam, I just have to recheck everything a few more times.”

“This is the third time you’ve “rechecked everything” Kai. I think we’re good.”

“…I just…I don’t want to mess everything up again…like with the spaceship.”

Kai was currently looking through every nook and cranny of the control panel near the light-house light. Despite the cyclops’s lack of depth perception, he was able to place the bulb in the right spot without breaking it.

Kai heard footsteps climbing up the staircase towards him. “Kai, we’ve talked about this. The spaceship accident was…?” Adam purposely drew their sentence out, waiting for Kai to finish it for them. He dramatically sighed. “Not my fault?” He muttered lazily.

“Speak up a bit more. I can barely hear you.” The leader commanded as he leaned against the railings surrounding the light. Kai rolled his eyes and fully stood up, crossing his arms and turned his head to avoid Adam’s gaze. “…The spaceship accident wasn’t my fault.” _But it was_.

“Good, remember that Kai. Now get down here you two. I’m going to flip the switch!” Mira called for the two boys, standing next to the overly excited cyclops. They were barely resisting the urge to jump up and down in elation.

Adam and Kai scrambled down the stairs toward the switch. The three teens all shared a glance, before Mira flipped it. A bright, almost blinding light filled the room, and shone through the large windows. A single beam pointed at the direction of the sea.

Kai felt a wave of relief and let go of the breath he was holding in. At least he seemed to _actually learn_ from his mistakes. He felt Adam and Mira patting him on the back in celebration, showering him with “good jobs” and “you did greats.” Kai was…sort of thankful for them. A part of him believed he didn’t deserve them, but that was still being mostly repressed by the cuts he made earlier.

“Now we just call for help. SOS is three quick flashes, three slow ones, and three more quick ones, right?” They might as well get this started. It was going to be a _long_ night of waiting for possible ships to come rescue them. Adam nodded a yes to his question, and directed his attention to the switch. He began to spell out their needs in Morse code.

5 seconds later, the three teens heard what seemed to be a distant boat whistle. They all quickly ran towards the window, hoping to see a ship in the distance. That was quick!

…That was strange though? There didn’t seem to be any ships? At least not any intact ones coming this way. Where was the noise coming from then?

The “boat” whistled once more, before wheezing in a very humanlike way. Everyone turned around to see none other than the weird guy himself, laughing his ass off. “I-I’m sorry! I just couldn’t resist!” The purple skinned weirdo explained with a shaky voice, trying his best to regain his composure.

Adam was pissed. He glared daggers at the weird guy, and looked ready to roundhouse kick them. Mira extended her arm, preventing him from doing so. “It’s not worth it Adam.” Was all she stated. Adam slowly breathed in, and then out, massaging his temples and continuing to glare in annoyance.

“So then…you called for help?” The weird guy leaned against the glass window, twirling and twisting the scarf around his neck. They got straight to the point this time, so the three of them all decided to do the same. “No, we were signaling a ship weirdo.” They all stated in unison. They hoped the displeasure apparent in their tone would drive the weirdo away, but it didn’t.

Instead, the weirdo began laughing again. “Weirdo? Ha! Never heard that one before!” He let out a few more giggles before turning to face the mirror, adjusting his glasses in a more comfortable position. “You kids are pretty creative. I like it!”

Mira slowly urged Kai and Adam into a group huddle while the weird guy was distracted. She began whispering, “Adam, I know you hate him, but since he’s hear maybe we can use one of his-“ Adam was quick to shut down Mira’s suggestion. “Absolutely not!” He didn’t even bother to explain exactly why, but he didn’t need to. Kai and Mira knew that Adam hated that weirdo’s guts.

Kai decided to speak his piece. “…I mean…what else are we going to do Adam? We’re not even sure when a ship will come, and eventually we’ll run out of food…” Adam’s sour expression softened while he talked. “If a ship doesn’t come by tomorrow, we’ll leave. I can…we’ll just find a way.” He replied gently to his comment. “Whatever the two of you do, don’t say it.”

“Don’t say what?” The weirdo, who was now dangerously close to them, asked the three teens with an innocent demeaner. Adam and Mira were equally startled. The weird dude really needed to stop that.

Kai however, without even thinking about, instantly replied with, “Help please.”

0.5 seconds later, Kai realized his big mistake. He glanced at Mira and Adam, who were staring at him in disbelief and disappointment.

_Fuck_.

“You got it!” The weirdo shouted insanely, twirled on his heal, and snapped his fingers. A portal appeared under the three teens’ feet, and they all fell down, down, down.

Kai was an _idiot_ , a _useless_ , _disgusting piece of trash_ that couldn’t seem to _stop fucking things up_! What was he _doing_? _Why did he even exist at this point_!?

His happiness quickly melted away. He didn’t think about where they were falling, or even the fact that they were falling at all. He just curled up, covered his face, and let himself be consumed by the thoughts raging inside his head.

“ _Seriously Kai_?”

“I know! I know! I’m stupid, absolute trash! I knew I’d mess something up! I just knew it!”

…Wait…when he heard “Seriously Kai,” did someone…did someone actually say that? It wasn’t just in his head?

It sounded like Adam’s voice. He removed his hands away from his face and opened his watery eyes, looking around the… _sky_ …until he saw Adam. The shocked and concerned expression on their face made Kai realize that he _also_ didn’t _think_ that reply, he said it _out loud_.

And then he felt a cold, hard impact. He smashed against what felt like tree bark, and then he resumed falling. The various smaller tree branches in the way scratched at his skin, and one big branch slashed at his head. Eventually he hit the grassy earth below.

…Everything was aching, his torso, his arms, his legs. He felt lightheaded, and swore he could feel blood pouring down from the gash on his head. Kai tried to sit up, but he just couldn’t.

He quickly gave up; he was feeling rather at peace anyways. Was he going to die? Possibly. He…he honestly hoped so. Adam and Mira didn’t deserve a mistake like him as a companion. It honestly felt like he was just going back to sleep. Sleep was always nice.

He suddenly felt the arms of someone lifting him up. His vision was pretty blurry at this point, so he couldn’t really tell who it was. They sounded…sad though, and worried. He slowly reached out for the white blob pressed on black. It looked really funny, and familiar. Was Adam holding him right now? He could kind of make out the swirls on what he assumed was their shirt. That meant the green and teal blob behind them was Mira.

And that’s when something primal took over him, making his eyes overflow with tears, and his breathing frantic. He could only think of one thought.

_He didn’t want to die_!

_He **really** didn’t want to die_! _Not yet_!

_He wanted to be with **Adam** and **Mira**_! **_Please_**!

**He didn’t want to die**!

But his vision was getting darker and darker, and in his last attempt to cling onto consciousness, he reached out for Adam’s blob like face with his shaking hand.

“…A-Adam… _I’m scared_.” Was all he could whimper out.

And then there was nothing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so Episode 4 closes. We're almost halfway folks!
> 
> Feel free to comment if you want!


	18. Ishibo I, Cage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adam kicks demon ass.

When Kai opened his eyes, he was met with Mira’s shocked face.

The floor he was on didn’t feel like dirt anymore, it felt more like wood. The room appeared to be lit exclusively with fire. He thought he saw a couple torches on the walls.

And…they were in a wooden cage weren’t they. He saw those bars surrounding them. They must be impossible to loosen if the three were still in here. Adam would have broken them out, and he would have woken up in a different place. Not…wherever this was.

At the very least…for _once_ he was glad he was alive. He swore he thought he was dying back there near the tree. The experience was _terrifying_ , but even then, a part of him ridiculed himself for being such a wimp at what he thought was his last moment.

“…Hey buddy.” Kai focused his attention to the owner of the voice. It was Mira, who had a sheepish smile plastered on her face. “I’m…sure you’re confused. Let me help you up and I’ll tell you everything.”

Mira went on to explain the gist of what happened. After Kai passed out. Adam apparently broke down. They took the first aid kit Mira pulled out of the satchel and worked on his wounds as fast as they could. After that they just held onto him, possibly crying their eyes out, and being too stubborn to show it. Only after the tree started talking did Adam begin to calm down.

Oh yeah, the tree they landed on was a living being that could talk. Apparently, she called herself the ironwood tree, and she needed help.

A group of monks…demon monks. Had come the night before and stole one of her branches. Their leader, Akuma, called the branch “Ishibo” and began to use it as a weapon. She wants it back, and if the three teens returned it to her, they’ll get a big reward.

Like… _returning home_.

So Adam and Mira carried Kai to this giant floating island, which was apparently where the demon monks lived. To get there they had to climb these chains, which attached the mainland to the island. Mira suggested leaving Kai behind, because holding someone while climbing chains to a floating island was _probably_ difficult, and it’d be safer for him on mainland. Adam however refused to let go of him, and they somehow managed to carry him all the way up there.

They entered the temple, and were going to grab the Ishibo from the mantel on the wall, which was above Akuma’s throne. The doors and windows shut on them however. It was an ambush, and they were thrown into the cage to await their punishment, since it was still night outside. The satchel was taken from them in the process.

“After that me and Adam took turns watching over you, hoping you’d wake up…which…clearly happened.” The awkwardness in her voice was apparent. Kai stared blankly, processing everything he was told.

“…What kind of fucked up fever dream are we in?” He stated bluntly without thinking. “Demon monks? Are we just high on LSD or something? Did we get caught by the police and we’re just too doped to see it properly?” Mira stared off to the side, clearly exhausted by their situation. “Yeah, this does feel like some shitty trip.” She replied, sighing in worry.

The two teens heard a shuffle, and looked at the direction of the noise. It was Adam, who was slowly awaking from his nap.

He looked _awful_. Mira looked pretty bad with her shaggy hair and numerous shallow cuts and bruises all across her body, but despite the lack of physical injuries, the deep bags under Adam’s eyes as well as his pale skin and red eyes made him look worse. “…Mira, what’s going on?” Their voice sounded strained and scratchy. They rubbed their eyes and sniffled a bit before resuming their question. “Is Kai awake ye-“

Silence hanged in the cage, making Kai very uncomfortable, especially since Adam was staring at him like they saw a ghost.

And then Adam darted towards Kai, enveloping him in a tight hug. He felt his heart flutter, and slowly returned the embrace, gently rubbing the leader’s back. Mira stared at the scene with a soft smile, it was a rather touching moment.

And then Kai felt a pair of lips pressed against his own.

_Adam was kissing him_.

**Adam was kissing him**.

He felt his mind short-circuiting. They kissed him eagerly and forcefully, as if their very life depended on the moment. It was making Kai weak in the knees. Not that it mattered, he wasn’t standing up. Kai glanced at Mira, who was staring and covering her mouth in shock.

When they finally parted, Kai’s face was as flushed as his hair. Was…was this real? Did he die and go to heaven? Was this his afterlife dream?

Adam brushed his hand against Kai’s face, ready to say something that would change his world forever. “Kai…I-“

“Ugh, I cannot possibly let this continue! How disgusting!”

The three teens turned their heads to behold two clay colored demon monks in front of the opened door to the temple. In the middle was a larger grey horned demon. His purple eyes communicated superiority, and his glare showcased power. “Akuma…” Mira and Adam muttered in unison; their faces filled with fear.

The demon king slowly strutted towards their cage, thousands of demon monks poured out of the door, standing in their respectable spots. “Romance is such a dangerous sin!” Akuma fumed, “It has only one end: heartbreak.” The windows in the temple opened, revealing a fresh, sunny day.

Akuma gripped one of the bars of the cage, staring at Adam and Kai with a terrifying smirk. “I suggest you two give up on this little temptation. The three of you won’t be living for long.” The eerie laugh that followed shook their very cores. They needed a plan, _pronto_.

And a plan Kai thought of. So many things could go wrong, but it was their only bet. He began to whisper at Adam and Mira, “Look guys, I know you might be hesitant in using the plan of someone who just woke up from a mini-coma, but we don’t have a lot of options right now. You in?” Adam and Mira stared at each other, before nodding. “We’re in” They said in unison.

_They were fucked_.

The original plan was to use Adam’s overwhelming super strength to their advantage. Kai advertised to Akuma that Adam could take on their best warrior, a statement every demon in the temple wheezed and laughed at, even Akuma himself giggled a bit.

They had expected for Akuma to free Adam inside the temple and defeat the biggest shot the demon monks had, grabbing the Ishibo in the process. Instead, they brought the cage outside, making their escape method 10 times more difficult. To make matters worse, their best warrior, “Katsuro” was possibly bigger than Toros. A raging white horned sumo wrestler with a giant spiked club for a weapon.

As the demon monks opened the cage, Kai clung to Adam’s arm. “This was a terrible idea. You should back down Adam!” He pleaded them with a whisper. Adam shook his head. “Then how will we get the Ishibo?” Kai faltered, slowly loosening his grip on Adam’s arm. The leader noticed this and placed a hand on top of Kai’s. “Don’t worry, I’ll find a way to get in there and grab it.” Their gentle and smooth voice calmed Kai’s nerves a bit, and he let go, letting some of the demon monks pull him towards the battlefield.

As he clung to his shirt, he felt Mira’s hand pat him comfortingly on the shoulder. “I’m sure he’ll be fine…” She attempted to comfort the red-head, but it was obvious that even she seemed unsure. One of the demon monks who re-locked the gate stared at them with a cocky smile. “No, he won’t.” They stated bluntly as they stepped into the gathering crowd. Mira and Kai collectively gulped, and focused their attention on Adam and Katsuro.

The red eyed giant was ferocious. They let out a loud roar that froze everyone’s hearts for a few seconds. Katsuro grabbed his club, and swung at Adam, who easily dodged the attack, although the raw power of the impact flung Adam a few feet.

Katsuro raised his club, striking once more. Adam dodged just barely by flipping himself in the other direction. He clung to the ground to prevent himself from flying off. Throughout this Kai and Mira watched in fear and horror. It was not looking good for Adam, even if he was faster, he couldn’t dodge forever.

The giant attempted to lift up his weapon, but apparently that strike was enough to embed it into the ground, making it difficult for them to it pull out. Adam took this opportunity to use the club as a ramp, and kicked Katsuro in the face with all his might.

The tables had turned. Mira and Kai began to cheer for Adam, screaming and hollering his name in praise. Adam took a brief moment to gaze at his two friends and wave in response to the cheers before he resumed fighting.

Katsuro would continue to use their brute force, but to no avail. Adam’s smarts and agility were no match for the emptyheaded demon. For every attack they made at Adam, he would dodge and give some well-placed punches and kicks in return. Eventually Adam managed to grab Katsuro’s club before they could. He twirled around, letting the weapon gain momentum before throwing it directly at them.

Kai and Mira didn’t know exactly what happened next, because they winced and looked away in disgust the moment the spikey club came into contact with Katsuro’s stomach. Based on the tearing flesh noise and the sound of people screaming and running away in horror, the sight couldn’t have looked pretty.

When Mira and Kai reopened their eyes to look at the scene, they found Katsuro nowhere to be seen, and his bloodied club was balancing over the edge of the island.

A weird jingling sound close by alerted Kai and Mira of Adam’s close presence. He ripped off the lock holding the gate of the cage in place, allowing them to escape their prison.

There was no time to stop for chitchat however; Adam quickly ran towards the entrance to the temple, likely after the Ishibo. Mira followed suit, dragging Kai with her.

When they entered the temple, the Ishibo wasn’t on the mantel. Instead, the ishibo was in the hands of Akuma himself, who had just enough time to grab it before the three teens stepped inside. “Looking for something, boy?” He taunted, waiting for Adam to perform his first strike.

And perform the first strike he did. He ran towards Akuma, preparing his fist for a punch, but was stunned to see them so easily dodge the attack. Akuma returned the favor by swinging the Ishibo at Adam’s head, an attack he narrowly missed.

This would continue for some time, Adam would attack, Akuma would dodge, Akuma would attack, Adam would dodge. The temple’s walls and floors were slowly getting destroyed by the power of the Ishibo, piece by piece.

When Akuma managed to get a hit on one of Adam’s wrists, marking a purple, glowing scar that seemed to cause Adam tons of pain, Kai knew he couldn’t just stand there and do nothing.

He ignored Mira’s frantic warnings as he ran and grabbed a rock from the nearby rubble. Positioning himself behind a hole in the wall, Kai threw the rock directly at Akuma’s back, just before he could get a finishing strike on Adam. The demon king turned his head and glared at Kai. “…So, the dead-weight wants to play? Who am I to refuse such a welcoming invitation?” They smirked, letting out an evil chuckle

And so Kai ran, he ran to the very edge of the island, specifically where Katsuro’s weapon was. He nearly got knocked out by Akuma’s quick attacks multiple times during the journey to the specific spot.

As he reached his destination, he lowered himself to the ground and attempted to pick up Katsuro’s club. He barely managed to raise it to cover his body, making for an excellent shield when Akuma finally caught up and attempted another swing at the red-head.

The power of the Ishibo however was stronger than the club, as it broke into thousands of pieces, letting out a force so huge that the only way Kai didn’t fall off the island was through Akuma grabbing him before he could fully fly way.

Akuma pinned Kai down to the ground with their foot, and prepared to stab Kai with the sharp end of the Ishibo. He managed to grab the handle just before it came into contact with his throat.

And then Kai felt pain. A pain so piercing and so horrid that he didn’t enjoy it, not one bit. This was unnatural! It felt like his hands were melting in lava but 2 times worse! He saw the palms of his hands completely covered in that purple glow. It grew brighter as Kai continued to hold on.

The pain was gradually making him weaker and weaker, and the Ishibo was getting closer and closer to his throat-

“ **Get away from him**!” Adam shrieked furiously. He finally managed to catch up to Akuma and Kai, and kicked Akuma in the back of the head. The force of the kick was so strong that the Ishibo was knocked out of their hands, landing on the ground nearby.

That shriek would be one of the last sounds Akuma would hear, as the punch in the face Adam gave them next launched them off the cliff. They screamed and fell into the depths below.

An eerie silence followed. Both teens panted heavily, completely exhausted from the running and the fighting. Adam collapsed onto the ground, clutching his glowing wrist and groaning in pain. Kai soon felt a similar pain, curling up into a ball on the floor and holding his hands to his chest.

When Adam heard Kai’s whimpers, he instantly crawled towards them, holding them towards his chest. “K-Kai? Did he hurt you? What did he do?” He was panicking, frantically asking questions with a distressed voice. Kai slowly opened his hands, grimacing in pain. He showed Adam the glowing scars, which covered his palms and fingers entirely.

Adam stared at the wounds, looking like he was struggling not to cry. He wrapped his arms around Kai in a tight hug. “Don’t _ever_ do that again!” He commanded with a shaky voice. Kai only curled up in Adam’s embrace, the warmth dulled the pain somewhat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, been to long. Hope you enjoy this chapter! Especially with...y'know. Feel free to comment your thoughts!


	19. Ishibo II, Strangers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Don't trust them, you'll only get stabbed in the back in the end...

It didn’t take long for Mira to catch up to Kai and Adam. She offered her hands, slowly helping Adam up. Kai tried to grab Mira’s hand, but instantly jerked his hand away in pain. Mira instead grabbed his wrist, lifting him up.

When everyone was standing again, Mira surfed through their satchel. It hadn’t been with Adam, and instead was resting on the throne in the temple the entire time. She pulled out the test tube, filled with the turquoise liquid. “Maybe this will help with…whatever those are.” She gazed at the purple marks in concern, wincing at the burning noises they continuously made.

“But…it isn’t enough.” Kai commented quietly. “If you use it on me, then there won’t be enough for Adam. If you use it on Adam though there’ll only be enough to heal _one_ of my hands-” Adam didn’t even hesitate to interrupt. “Give it all to Kai.” He begged Mira.

Kai stared at Adam in shock and confusion. “W-what? No! You’re the muscle of this group Adam, if you don’t have your full strength then we’re fu…toast!” Kai would have just said fuck, but Adam’s signature disapproving glare forced him to correct himself halfway. “I can handle it Kai! Besides, I was only grazed for a few seconds. You came into contact with it much longer than I did. You _have_ to be in more pain.”

Kai turned his head away from Adam’s distressed expression. “This isn’t about me.” He stated lowly. _It never should be_ , _he’s dead weight for the team_. “If you aren’t at your full game none of us will be OK. You don’t have to worry; I can handle the pain too.” He was sort of lying, it was unbearable and Kai was almost on the brink of tears. Adam’s distressed expression grew stronger. “But Kai I don’t want-“

“ _Adam_.” Mira interrupted the leader, who silenced himself in surprise. “Listen, I don’t want to see either of you in pain. In a situation like this however we have to take the logical approach.” Mira explained calmly. “Kai is right, Adam’s biggest strength is…well, strength. The pain from that scar is likely going to hinder that, which can’t be good for all of us. Therefore-“

But Mira wasn’t able to finish, because Adam ripped the medicine from her hands in a fit of desperation and poured it over Kai’s wounds before anyone could object. Kai watched the glowing burns shrink away into nothing, and felt instant relief from the pain. The vial was thrown to the floor, completely empty.

Kai and Mira stared at the leader in shock, completely stunned to silence. Adam was the first to break the ice. “…We need to get going. Where’s the Ishibo?” Mira, who was still staring at Adam, pointed to the direction of the Ishibo without looking.

As Adam walked towards the Ishibo, Kai started to scratch at his self-cut arm. He was _covered_ in bandages after falling off the tree, but he remembered which arm it was. His guilt was filling to the brim, consuming him. He felt almost as awfully as when Mira “died.” _He didn’t deserve that medicine_.

He _needed_ to cut. Even if he was still aching from his falling wounds, it wasn’t enough, not anymore.

Kai was just about to ask Mira if he could “go to the bathroom” but he was distracted by her confused expression as she pointed at…the _floating_ Ishibo?

The three teens followed the Ishibo with their concerned gaze only to see it land in the hands of…who the hell was that?! It was an African boy with glowing eyes and a red t-shirt. The Ishibo, which was surrounded by the same glow, floated toward the glowing guy. His eyes ceased glowing as the Ishibo landed in his hands. A cocky smirk was plastered on his face.

It was a human! Another person like them! About time!

But this person seemed far from friendly, especially since he was stealing the Ishibo from them. Suddenly, another teen zoomed near them at the speed of sound, a blonde Caucasian with a red beanie and a green t-shirt. The glowing guy handed the Ishibo to the fast guy, who zoomed off at a ridiculous speed, knocking Kai and Mira off their feet in the process. “Catch you later!’ He shouted mockingly in the distance.

Adam was _pissed_. He ran towards the glowing guy. Preparing to beat them into oblivion. However, Adam’s wound forced him at a standstill. As he clutched his wrist in pain, another person showed up…from the sky!

It was a Caucasian girl with pink dyed hair. She smirked confidently as she lowered her hands towards the glowing boy. They clutched onto her wrists, and she flew, carrying them off into the distance.

“ **Give it back**!” Adam commanded them furiously. The glowing guy turned his head towards the three teens. “Yeah, don’t think so!” He replied casually, before chuckling lowly. The two strangers disappeared into the horizon.

They stared at the direction of where the three strangers used to be. Mira rubbed her face with her hands and sighed. Adam, in a fit of rage, stomped his foot onto the ground and screamed in anger, creating small cracks on the ground. Kai himself was trying to process what the heck just happened.

The teens wouldn’t be able to rest for long however, as a weird sound soon graced their ears. It sounded like an earthquake, but the earth wasn’t shaking?

And that’s when they looked around, and realized the massive demon army slowly but surely gathering around them in all directions. They had no way of escaping the island. _They were dead meat_.

Mira turned her gaze to Adam. “Listen, I know you hate that weird guy but they’re our only hope Adam!” She begged the leader frantically. Adam glanced at Mira and Kai’s terrified faces, before sighing in defeat, “Help, please!” He yelled hesitantly.

“Well! You guys seem to be in quite the pickle huh?” The purple skinned weirdo magically appeared behind the three teens, wearing a playful smirk. “Funny word, pickle. Try saying it-“

“Listen Weirdy we have no time for your little games. Hurry up and make a portal!” Adam commanded the weird guy with impatience. The weirdo let out an exaggerated gasp, “Jeez kid! I was only trying to lighten up the mood! Live a little! You’re not dead!” _Yet_. Kai thought to himself.

The weirdo began to stretch his arms out. “You guys sure do ask for a lot of help though! Might want to slow down a bit, you’re running out~” He teased them as he twirled his scarf with his hands.

The three teens blinked in confusion at the weirdo’s comment. “What?” They asked in unison, before falling through the portal that the weirdo made underneath them.

They landed on a cold and metal like floor. The portal above them disappeared, removing their ability to see inside the room. The dim, red lights blinked, struggling to keep themselves on.

They hadn’t fallen as much a distance as when they landed on the tree, so they were only a bit winded and drained. Mira slowly stood up, helping Adam and Kai to their feet.

The team looked around, but couldn’t really see anything as red lights weren’t _actually_ _good_ at helping you see things clearly. Adam opened the satchel that Mira was wearing, bringing out the flashlight he got in the shack. Mira and Kai glanced at each other in confusion. “I thought that didn’t work?” Kai asked quietly. Adam pressed the button on the flashlight. Surprisingly, it lit the way without a problem. “I grabbed some batteries while I was helping you fix the spaceship.” He explained plainly.

The flashlight revealed to them a steel encased room filled with various tech and gadgets. A few computers rested at the center of the room they were standing in. A few windows were to the left and right, but they appeared to be closed off, since they were completely black…or maybe not?

As Adam and Mira began to search around the room for any information on where they were, Kai walked closer to the windows, and realized they weren’t closed off at all. They seemed to be in some place that’s pitch black…with a lot of white spots all over the pla- oh wait they were in space weren’t they…

Mira momentarily gave up shuffling through junk in frustration “Can’t find anything…god, where are we?” She sighed, slowly rubbing her temples. Kai turned his head to her and Adam, who was still vigilantly searching despite the pain. He coughed a few times to get their attention, and the two teens looked towards him in confusion.

Kai nervously motioned towards the window. “As a wise video game character once said: We’re in space.”

Adam and Mira raced towards the window, and marveled at what appeared to be the planet they used to be on in the distance, as well as its moon. He says planet, not earth, because the shape of the land looked nothing like on earth.

They were very, very, _very_ far away from home.

Adam blinked in confusion and looked towards Adam and Mira, who stared back at him. “…Did we get abducted by aliens?” He questioned with uncertainty. Kai and Mira glanced at each other, before shrugging.

“So…what do we do now?” Kai questioned softly. The confusion and apprehension were slowly choking him. Mira turned towards the computer at the center of the room, and pointed towards it. “You’re good with tech Kai, maybe you could turn on the computer and see what’s going on with the…I’m assuming we’re on another spaceship-“

“Absolutely not.” Kai instantly replied. Mira and Adam gazed at him with confusion. “…But why?” Adam slowly questioned after a few moments of silence, raising an eyebrow.

“I can fix a light bulb, sure, but remember what happened last time I-“ He was cut off by Mira’s saddened expression, which filled him with guilt. “Kai, we’ve talked about this!” She gently chided him.

_God he’s way too annoying_! He inconspicuously scratched at his self-harmed arm and sighed in defeat. “…I know, I know. I guess I’ll do it. I just… _I need to go to the bathroom first_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And the other team has been introduced. Stay tuned folks!


	20. Ishibo III, Shuttle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ...But since when did he ever learn from his experiences?

“Kai? What’s taking you so long?”

Adam’s question from outside the bathroom startled Kai. Since they were in unknown territory, Adam volunteered to protect him as he “did his business.” Of course, Kai didn’t actually have to use the toilet. The past 2 minutes in the small flashlight lit room had been spent marking his arm with a few more cuts.

“Yeah, hold on a sec!” He replied to the concerned leader. After wrapping his arm Kai walked towards the toilet to flush it, hoping the noise would avoid any suspicion. When he pushed the handle down, nothing happened. Honestly, he should have figured, the sink didn’t work either, making it impossible to clean his cuts or the knife.

This spaceship obviously wasn’t working to well…or, was it a shuttle? Based on the little he saw it seemed to be designed a lot more like a shuttle than a spaceship. Kai didn’t know how he knew that, or why. His tech powers were _weird_.

Kai opened the door, beholding a tense and slightly impatient Adam gently holding his purple scared wrist. “Does the toilet not work?” Kai nodded at Adam’s question. “Yeah, it doesn’t work. Fixing the ship should get the plumbing up and running again.” He explained confidently. The fresh pain he inflicted on himself eased his worries and cleared his mind. He was in a pretty good mood.

They slowly walked towards the control room, where Mira was waiting. It was a pretty long distance, and the hall seemed almost unending. A strange liquid was splattered throughout the ceiling and walls, its color indiscernible due to the red lights.

Every once and awhile Adam would stop to tightly clutch his wrist, wincing and doubling over in pain. Kai would cling onto his shirt every time, guilt slowly flooding into his system drip by drip.

After a certain point, Adam abruptly stopped without wincing in pain. Kai turned his head towards the leader in confusion. “…Adam?” He concerningly asked. They looked rather embarrassed, looking off to the side and refusing to meet Kai’s gaze. They inhaled sharply, before sighing softly and speaking with a calm, but rather unsure voice, “…Kai…about the kiss.”

Kai felt his eyes widen, and his cheeks darken. _He completely forgot about **that** in the midst of all the action_. “…Yeah? What about it?” He questioned quietly. He was glad this was happening _after_ he cut himself. Who knows how much of a stuttering mess he’d have been?

Adam glanced at Kai with a touch of distress. “Look I’m…I’m sorry if-“

_Oh_ … _so it wasn’t serious_. “O-oh no! I understand! I mean you were probably feeling a lot of stuff and…I was the only guy so.” He scratched the back of his head, giving a fake smile. He felt his heart crack into pieces, and the dark thoughts slowly returning to his mind.

Kai for a moment thought he saw Adam’s face morph into that of despair, before it was replaced with an awkwardly sheepish smile. “…Yeah…uh…I hope I didn’t make you too uncomfortable-“

“N-no…I uh…liked it actually.” He clung onto his arm, staring at the floor with an embarrassed expression. He glanced up for a few seconds to see Adam stare at him with shock. “…You did?”

He slowly nodded. “…Yeah…so…if you ever want to do that again…I won’t…mind…y’know?” Internally he was freaking out. _What was he doing_? “I mean, like I said before, I’m the only guy you know, and you’re actually…rather attractive to me. We’re both stressed out from this situation and need an outlet, and we get along decently well…S-so I don’t mind pursuing something like _that_ with you for the time being.” _Did he have a fucking brain tumor for breakfast_?!

Adam, who had resumed a neutral expression as he listened to Kai, raised an eyebrow. “For the time being?” He questioned the red-head. Kai could feel his entire mind breaking down. “I-I mean. Only if you w-want to! I don’t mind! E-either way works-“

“OK…” Adam nodded his head; a blush was apparent on his slightly embarrassed face. “So…what _are_ we exactly…friends with benefits? Is that even the correct term?” Kai began to fidget with his fingers, nodding a yes to Adam’s question. “…Yeah…I-I guess.”

An awkward silence filled the room. Kai was the first to break the ice. “…Do…do you want to kiss me now?” _God he sounded pathetic_! _This was so weird_.

Adam answered Kai’s question by slowly walking towards him and lifting his chin up to face them. Kai took the cue, closed his eyes, and felt Adam’s lips press gently against his own. He swore he was melting, his entire body felt like it was on fire.

He had to calm himself though. Adam wasn’t his boyfriend, they’re just friends with some benefits due to their special circumstances. _Adam doesn’t like him_ _the way he likes Adam_. Once they get out of this mess and remember who they are, Adam will find someone else that he truly likes. _Maybe he already has a boyfriend_?

Finally, they separated. Kai slowly opened his eyes to see a red lit Adam smiling softly. “…Thank you, Kai…” They spoke with appreciation. He smiled sheepishly in return. “…You too.” He replied quietly.

This was _fine_ … _He was fine_!

He ignored his aching heart.

Adam and Kai managed to return to the room they fell in, hand in hand. Mira, who was sitting in a nearby chair, stared at them for a moment, an unreadable expression on her face, before she smiled endearingly at them. “I see you two sorted things out. Have you already decided on pet names for each other?” She teased lightly. Adam and Kai glanced at each other in response to the comment. “It’s nothing like that. We’re in a casual relationship.” Adam explained matter-a-factually. “Yeah, I don’t even think it’s a good idea to get invested in something like _that_ considering we’re insomniac after all.” Kai added on.

Mira gazed at Kai with confusion. “…Don’t you mean Amnesiac?” She attempted to correct him. He blinked in confusion. What was she talking about? “…I honestly slept pretty good despite the fact I was in a cage, so no, I don’t think I have amnesia.” He explained with a puzzled tone. He glanced at Adam, only to find them struggling to hold in a giggle, biting their lip and hiding a smile. Glancing back at Mira, he noticed she had a similar expression. That’s when Kai realized how much of an idiot he was.

“G-god. Sorry. I’m so dumb!” He buried his face with his hands in embarrassment. He can’t believe he mixed those two words up! Adam wrapped an arm around him and pecked him on the cheek, smiling and letting out a small chuckle. “It’s not something to be embarrassed about! I thought it was cute!” Mira also let out a small giggle. “Someone needs to get a thesaurus.” She jested.

Kai was once again confused. He uncovered his hands and stared at Mira with a straight face “…Wait, don’t you mean Theesorius?” Based on the giggles that followed, Kai must have been wrong. He buried his face in Adam’s chest, too embarrassed to say any more stupid comments.

Mira walked towards Kai and gently pat him on the back. “Listen Kai, you may not be word smart, but you _are_ tech smart. Let’s get you on that computer and figure out what to do next, ok?” She comforted him with a reassuring voice. Kai only nodded in response.

“How long will it take?”

“About 3 minutes to diagnose it. Pretty fast for an x-class orbital shuttle to be honest.”

“…Wait, so this isn’t a ship?”

“Nope; totally different structure. There are five classes, V being the lowest and Z being the highest. X is in right in the middle, so I have no idea why it’s running like a Z class unit. Waste of resources honestly, X class units are usually only used for science experiments, so they can handle the older processors. Z class units would need the faster ones for tight situations, as they’re mostly used as defense units. The only explanation I can think of is that they were experimenting on something very risky and complicated…”

“…Yeah…I uh, totally got all that!” Mira replied, completely baffled at Kai’s explanation. He pushed himself away from the computer desk, twirling the office chair around to make himself spin in circles. “…I’m sorry. I’m pretty boring huh?” He apologized quietly as he sat in a fetal position, wrapping his arms around his legs and laying his head to the side.

Mira, who was lounging in a chair next to him, began to wave her hands around vigorously. “Oh no no no! You’re not boring me out. I just don’t really speak tech. It honestly sounds really interesting!” She attempted to reassure the red-head, giving a comforting smile. Kai lowered one of his legs to stop the chair from spinning. Although he still had doubts, he smiled awkwardly at Mira with appreciation. “Thanks…anyways, where’s Adam? He’s been gone for like 5 minutes now?” Kai questioned the animal whisperer, changing the topic.

Mira shrugged at his inquiry. “I don’t know. He said he was going to look for the crew, but honestly, I don’t think anyone’s still here. This place looks completely wrecked…” Kai nodded in agreement. “Yeah. The shuttle was on emergency power mode, which means most of the crew must have left through the escape pods in a hurry.” He explained matter-of-factually. “I’m worried about _why_ they were in a hurry though…Something _horrible_ must have happened here…”

Mira noticed Kai’s worried and downcast expression. She reached out and gently pat Kai’s shoulder. “L-let’s talk about something else. It won’t do us much good to worry about it anyways.” Kai stared at Mira blankly, before shrugging and looking off to the side. “Ok then, what do you want to talk about?

“You like Adam, don’t you?” She questioned casually.

Kai visibly jumped and glanced at Mira with wide eyes. “I-I…uh…” After a few moments of stuttering, he reluctantly nodded a yes. He felt that could trust Mira.

Mira smirked. “Figures, when I saw your reaction to him kissing you, every other interaction I saw you have with him suddenly made sense.” She twirled her hair around with her fingers. “Adam is very observant; he can read people’s minds and emotions like a book. He seems rather oblivious when it comes to love though.” Kai knew that look that Mira had. She looked starstruck, reminiscing about Adam with a soft gleam in her eye.

“…You…you like him too, right?” He asked quietly. Mira glanced at him in surprise before sighing sadly with a somber smile on her face. “…Yeah…but I don’t think he’s interested in me, huh?” Kai slowly nodded. “Yeah…he uh…told me he was gay back at the boat. Not interested in girls at all.”

Mira let out a strained laugh, making Kai lower his gaze in guilt. _He was horrible_ , _ruining Mira’s hope like that_. “Yeah…figures…this isn’t about me though. I brought this up because I…I just want to know if you’re OK with having a _casual_ relationship with him.” She questioned with concern. “That has to _hurt_ you right? I mean, Adam is _obviously_ head over heels in love with you but I _will_ break his kneecaps if he makes you cry-“

Kai quickly interrupted her, stunned at her sudden display of over-protectiveness. “Mira no! First of all, don’t do that! I’m the one that suggested it in the first place. If he “hurts” me it’s my fault! Second of all, He himself said he was sorry about the kiss. There’s no way he could love someone like _me_.” He rubbed his face with his hands, looking to the side and covering his cheeks. “I’m…I’m so _desperate_ for his attention, for his affection, that at this point I’m willing to take _anything_. Even if I’m just some temporary dude to fool around with for a few days, even if I’m thrown away…I want to have this rather than _nothing at all_.” He explained with a strain in his voice.

Mira gazed at him sorrowfully. “…But Kai… _that’s unhealthy_.” She stated softly. Kai sighed into his arms, ignoring what Mira said. “Listen…I won’t tell you how to live your life but…if you need to vent, I’m here for you Kai.” She stood up, shuffling slowly towards Kai and extended a hand to him. “If he makes you mad, I’ll be there to snap his arms in half.” She promised jokingly.

Kai couldn’t help but giggle at the comment. “Mira, _no_!” He begged half with concern, and half in jest. “Adam would throw you into a trash bin if you even attempted to do that!” Mira crossed her arms and glared in jest. “You don’t know what these legs can do! I’ll aim for the nards if I have to!” Kai burst out laughing, and Mira quickly followed suit.

Eventually they calmed down, and Mira re-extended her hand to Kai, who eagerly took it. She lifted him up from his chair, and they both enveloped each other in a tight, friendly hug. Kai felt just a tad bit better about everything.

At that moment the computer let out a loud beep, alerting Kai and Mira that the mainframe had finished diagnosing the issues. Kai quickly sat back down and looked over the report. “…Huh…it isn’t nearly as bad as I thought it was. Just need to alter a few things here…and then fix this little string of code…” Kai tapped away, completely in the zone. Before they knew it, the lights were suddenly back on. Mira and Kai cheered in elation, and gave each other a high five. _He actually did something useful for once_!

Their celebration only lasted for around a few seconds, as when they actually took the time to look around the newly lit room, what they witnessed was truly horrifying. Half crushed bones and dislocated skeletons were strewn about the corners of the room. The strange liquid covering the ceiling and walls was green in color, dripping onto the floors. Right next to them was an astronaut helmet. Its glass was completely shattered, revealing a skull inside.

They needed to leave. _Now_.

Kai frantically looked around the room for something, anything they could use to get off the ship, only to find something he hadn’t paid much attention to before. A strange tube in front of the computer, behind the elevator. It was a teleporter!

Kai focused his attention back to the computer. “Mira, find Adam and bring him here. Once you get back, go inside that tube.” He begged Mira in a hurry, frantically looking through the folders to find the teleporter’s code. Mira gazed at Kai in fear. “W-what? Why-“

“It’s a teleporter! I’ll stay here and fix it! _Just go_!” He snapped. Mira stared at Kai for a few more seconds, before turning on her heel and sprinting down the hall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here's the new chapter. Have fun reading, and feel free to comment your thoughts!


	21. Ishibo IV, Theme Park

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Horror coaster tycoon.

It took about 2 minutes to diagnose the problems with the teleporter. They were numerous, and took him 3 more minutes to fix. He also he had to set valid coordinates, but Kai just went with the first preset he saw. It’d get them out of _here_ , that’s all that matters.

Perfect timing too, as the ding of the elevator behind the teleporter alerted Kai of Mira and _hopefully_ Adam’s return. He twirled his chair around to see Mira and Adam running for their lives out of the elevator.

The sound of scrapping metal and the appearance of a gooey, sharp clawed hand from the top of the elevator made Kai realize exactly why they were running.

“ _Get in the teleporter_!” He commanded Adam and Mira loudly. Mira grasped Adam’s good arm and dragged the confused leader into the teleporter with her. Meanwhile Kai himself had run towards the button nearby the teleporter, the button would start a 5 second countdown before the teleporter would close off and use its function.

He pressed it and turned on his heel towards the teleporter entrance, but then felt a striking pain on his back that pushed him forward. The force shoved him inside the teleporter just before it closed its glass doors. Looking behind him, he saw a strange, monstrous green alien eagerly licking his freshly bloodied claws.

_He just got scratched by that thing_.

Mira gasped in horror, while Adam completely lost it. They hurriedly crouched towards Kai, lifting him up into a comfortable sitting position and feeling his back for the scars. it was a gesture Kai didn’t appreciate; The scars hurt like hell.

Kai winced in both pain and in stress as Adam and Mira began to ask a million variations of the same question. The horrid scratching noise the slimy monstrosity made as he slid his claws against the glass tube they were in didn’t help his increasing headache. He felt a tingling sensation, saw a bright light, and before they all knew it they were in a…roller-coaster?

Kai blocked out the voices of his two companions and looked around. Yep they appeared to be in the seats of a roller-coaster cart. All around him he could see various tents and buildings that you would normally see in a carnival. A merry-go-round, a Ferris-wheel, a bumper car section, and more surrounded the roller-coaster set they were placed on.

“…Hey guys, I think we’re in a theme park now!” He spoke with excitement. He didn’t know why, but the idea of a theme park just put a smile on his face. It reminded him of happy times that he had no memory of, if that made sense.

Adam and Mira however were too busy trying to carry Kai off the roller coaster seat to care. “That doesn’t matter right now Kai. You’re hurt!” Adam stated with distress. They gently set him on the nearby wooden platform, and Adam began to frantically search around for the first aid kit in his satchel. Mira meanwhile lifted Kai’s arms up and began to lift up his shirt off of his body. Kai internally panicked, a light red blush appeared on his face. this was rather… _uh_ …

Mira gasped when she discarded his long-sleeved shirt onto the floor, covering her mouth and wincing. The act made Kai freak out, just a tad bit. “H-how bad is it?” He questioned quietly. “ _Bad_.” Was all that Mira replied with. Adam managed to finally pull out the first aid kit, and threw it to Mira. She opened it, pulled out the half-used bandage wrap, and began her work. She was much quicker and less sloppy than Adam and Kai combined.

When Mira finished wrapping the wound, Adam scooted closed to Kai and placed a hand on his shoulder. Worry stilled showed in his tone of voice, “Are you ok? Can you see clearly? Does your head-“

Kai mustered the courage to shut Adam up by quickly pecking them on the lips. “It’s OK Adam, I’m fine!” He gently reassured them as he looked to the side in embarrassment. Glancing at Adam’s face for a few seconds, he felt his heart melt when he saw the leader’s soft blush against their cheeks. Adam’s hand hovered over their mouth in an attempt to hide their small smile as their eyes widened in shock.

Kai saw their eyes suddenly shift to his shoulders, and their expression morphed into that of confusion and concern. “…When did you get those?” Kai raised an eyebrow, and turned his head to look at his shoulders…only to find numerous scars covering them. The strange thing was that a lot of them looked rather fresh…but still older than any of the injuries he got since he woke up.

It was almost as if a light-bulb suddenly appeared blinking above his head. _Those were old self harm scars_.

_He cut himself even before he lost his memory_.

“…I…I don’t remember getting those…It’s probably nothing!” He shrugged and faked a calm expression. Adam and Mira glanced at each other before slowly nodding. Mira reached her hands out towards the bandaged wrapped around Kai’s head. “Alright Kai…now could you hold still for a bit longer; I want to check some of the wounds Adam bandaged up back at the tree-”

“E-excuse us but…are you kids alright?” A strange, deep voice questioned with distress. The three teens looked behind them to see two mustached men wearing black and white leotards. one was large and built, and the other was small, but equally built.

The two strange men were called Benjamin, the large guy, and Benjamini, the small guy. Surprisingly enough, Benjamin and Benjamini didn’t want to kill them unlike mostly every other living thing on this planet! They were actually rather nice, and showed them around the theme park once Kai was given back his shirt.

They had come upon what had appeared to be a house of horrors ride. Unfortunately the ride was out of business, as the cart on the tracks was broken, making it unrideable. “I thought I could fit…I couldn’t fit!” Benjamin exclaimed with woe. Kai couldn’t help but giggle at the carnival men’s endearing Italian accent.

“…You…you know I…might be able to fix it?” Kai usually didn’t take initiative like this unless he had recently self-harmed, so it took more than half of his courage to even suggest fixing the cart. Note to himself, he should find the time and space to “go to the bathroom” later. He was already getting the itch, and accidental wounds weren’t doing it for him anymore. The scratch that alien gave him hurts more than it lifts his spirits.

The carnival men were incredibly hyped at the idea. Kai got to work straight away; it would feel good to make someone happy. Adam and Mira, who watched in silence, wandered far away and began a private conversation without him.

Kai looked behind him once while he was working on the cart, only to see Mira motioning towards her shoulders, using her finger to outline long slashes. Adam listened to Mira, a slightly worried expression on his face.

_They were talking about the scars on his shoulders_.

Kai quickly shook his head and resumed working on the cart. There’s nothing to worry about. He’s being too irrational. He just needs to hurry up and fix this ride. Then hopefully after he tests it with Benjamini he can ask Adam for the satchel and go into the forest for some privacy.

Kai’s finishing touches were well placed, as Adam and Mira had begun to walk back towards the horror ride. “We’re really sorry guys…but…we need to get going.” Adam broke the news to the carnival guys, who began to tear up in disappointment. “Oh please! Please stay! No one ever stays!” Benjamini begged, holding his fists in a prayer. “Yeah, like those other kids that were here before you showed up!” Benjamin added on.

The three teens collectively glanced at each other with wide eyes. _Oh yeah_ , _those other teens that took the Ishibo from them_. At least, they assume it’s the same group. Adam stared at the carnival guys; his face morphed into a serious glare. “…What other kids?” He questioned lowly.

“Three kids, like you. They rushed out of here without speaking to us. I think one of them was a girl who could fly…” Benjamin trailed off, looking to the ground and surfing through his memories. “Another one had some red beanie, and the last one had this long stick.”

“Thank you. Do you know where they went?” Adam inquired as he pulled the map from the satchel, a relieved smile fell on the three teens faces.

“We think they went…southwest of here?”

“Good, that’s about all we need to know. Come on Kai, let’s get going!” Adam called for the redhead, who glanced at the cart ride in disappointment. He was actually looking forward to riding in it. Nothing he could do though, it’s best not to argue.

Mira must have noticed his expression, because she grabbed Adam by the shoulder, preventing them from leaving. “Kai, do you want to go on the horror ride before we go?” She called out the inquiry. Adam glared at Mira in disappointment. “Mira, we have to-“

Oh hell no, _Kai wasn’t going to be the cause of a fight_. “No! It’s fine. Let’s just go…” He mustered a fake smile, walking down the steps and slowly shuffling towards them. Adam’s impatient glare at Mira morphed into a concerned stare at Kai. “…Hey, if you really want to ride it, be more assertive about it. You won’t be able to get _anything_ you want if you just give up like that.” Kai felt himself sweating a bit, he was… _uncomfortable_. “It’s really fine Adam. I don’t really want to ride it that bad. We have more important things to do anyways-“

“Go ride it Kai. we could all use a break. I think I’ll go on the merry-go-round.” Mira smiled softly at Kai, before wandering off to her destination, which wasn’t very far. Kai almost felt like his legs were glued onto the floor. He felt _awful_! Did he accidentally _guilt trip_ them? _He should work on his acting skills more_ …

Benjamini was all on board with the decision, hopping into the cart excitedly and awaiting Kai as he bounced up and down enthusiastically. Adam sat himself down on the steps leading to the horror ride entrance. He placed the satchel down next to him and began lounging, sighing in relief and slowly massaging his purple scarred wrist. “I’ll wait here for you.” He told Kai. His tone was casual, but slightly strained, as it seemed his wrist was beginning to act up again. Kai nodded, taking a moment to gaze at Adam’s scar with a hint of guilt before racing towards the cart.

He lifted himself in the cart and flipped the switch. The cart started to slowly move forward, riding along the tracks. The faster it went along the dark, spooky tunnel, the more Kai felt his adrenaline rush. It was making him feel better, to be honest.

Before he knew it, he was cheering along to the jump scares just as enthusiastically as Benjamini was. he felt free, like there was nothing wrong with the world, that everything was OK, that _he_ was OK.

And then he smelled smoke. He opened his eyes to see the front of the cart completely on fire. Benjamini started screaming bloody murder. The illusion of happiness quickly wore off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here be a new chapter! Enjoy!


	22. Undead I, Flames

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Isn't this what he always wanted?

Kai was terrified. He had thought of the many possible ways he could die, and a fiery death sounded like the most painful one. He needed to get out of the cart _now_.

But…at the same time, _doesn’t he kind of deserve a painful death_? He’s been a horrible, selfish friend to Adam and Mira. He pretty much serves no purpose for the team so he won’t really be missed.

But they obviously would miss him, considering how they treat him! He doesn’t want to be such a selfish prick, die, and leave them by themselves. At the very least he’s needed emotionally, especially for Adam considering…y-yeah.

But Adam isn’t his _boyfriend_ , and he can easily find someone else in this messed up world if there are other humans in it. He’s just so…tired of all this. He just wants to _stop_.

 _But that’s selfish_! _Suicide is selfish_! _He’s being a piece of shit by just thinking about all this_!

 _But what’s wrong with being selfish_ , _at least when it comes to this_? _No one_ _deserves to be in pain all the time, right_?

Kai’s inner battle was interrupted by Benjamini’s shrieking, which was getting louder and louder as the fire slowly consumed the sides of the cart. It set a fiery trail across the rail, setting the walls of the building into flames.

Kai needed to stop thinking about himself for now. _He_ doesn’t matter, _Benjamini_ does. He looked ahead, seeing a bright light in the distance of the tunnel they were cruising through. He remembered that part of the track was in the air outside of the left side of the building, emerging from the left part and rounding back into the right part of the side.

Kai was nearly blinded by the light as the cart emerged from the tunnel. Adam, Mira, and Benjamin were huddled together in the distance on the ground, horror and shock apparent on their faces.

There was no time to think, or explain. Kai grabbed Benjamini and threw him out of the cart with all his might, aiming for the distressed group below before the cart rounded back into the horror tunnel.

Kai collapsed into the moving cart and began to pant heavily. Benjamini was _heavy_ despite his size. He heard his name being called, the loud noise drowning out as he was pulled farther and farther into the tunnel. Another sharp turn forced the cart to its side, throwing Kai off onto the floor, surrounded by the flames that slowly consumed the horror ride.

Kai could feel that primal instinct inside him growing stronger as the flames gathered closer and closer to his body. Was it self-preservation? He didn’t care, because he held it down, preventing it from controlling him and forcing him up to look for an exit. He laid on the ground, shaking vigorously and tightly shutting his eyes. He waited for the flames to eventually consume his body.

This was _fine_. _Everything will be OK_! After the flames eat him, there will be _nothing_. No _pain_ , no _misery_ , no _thoughts_ , _just silence_.

But… _Adam and Mira_ …

Their smiles, their voices, it forced him to stand up. A voice inside his head screamed at him, telling him how much of a fucking wimp he was. _He couldn’t even die properly_. He ignored the voice, and focused on finding a way out of the hellfire he surrounded himself in.

After a few moments of looking around, he realized that the only thing he could do was brave through the flames and hope the exit was nearby. He breathed in, breathed out, and rushed through the flames. He expected his pants to catch on fire, and they did, but surprisingly enough there was no burning sensation in his legs, only warmth. He vigorously patted his legs, trying to get rid of the flames, only for the flames to collectively gather into his right hand, twirling and spinning around like a ball.

…Wha… **what**?

He raised his left hand up, and noticed that as the hand was raised, the fire around him flew in the same direction. He then moved his left hand to the right, and the flames began to blow to the right. Lowering his left hand down, he tightly closed his right hand and opened it, only for the flames hovering over his hand to be gone.

Kai had fire powers.

 _Kai had fucking fire powers_.

He began to sprint. Finding the exit was at the back of his mind. He just ran, and ran, and ran along the tracks. As he collected flames around him like a fire magnet, his heart began to beat faster and faster, and tears began to escape his eyes.

 _He wasn’t useless_! He finally had a power like Adam and Mira! _Look at what he could do_!

He forced all the fire into his hands, and jumped up. Suddenly his hands were acting like a jet, and he disregarded the pain his head felt when he shot through the wooden ceiling. For a few seconds he was blinded by the sudden light, but after blinking a few times, he could see a deep orange sky and a bright setting sun.

Kai stopped his hands from shooting fire, and looked down. He was rather high up, and could see Adam, Mira, and the carnival brothers all staring at him. He couldn’t tell their expressions from the distance he was at however.

Kai then felt himself falling. He extended his hands, and shoot enough fire towards the ground to slow him down. He managed to safely land in front of the group that was gawking at him. He wasn’t sure if it was because they were horrified, amazed, or a mixture of both. For once he didn’t care. He was too excited about his superpower discovery to care.

“ _Adam_! Look at what I can do!” He shouted excitedly at the leader. He opened his hands and produced fiery sparks. Lifting his arms to the sky, he shot the sparks in the air, producing orange and red fireworks across the evening sky. They were difficult to see, but the sound they made reverberated across the theme park.

After staring at the fireworks in awe for a few moments, he turned his head back to the group where Adam was to see his reaction, only to find them right next to him. The proud and endearing smile they gave him melted his heart. “Very cool Kai…but try not to scare me like that again.” Adam stated simply as they pecked his cheek. He could feel his face flush into a bright red, and in the heat of the moment he grabbed Adam’s shirt and kissed him passionately.

After a few moments, Kai moved his lips away from Adam’s and looked to the side awkwardly. “S-sorry, I should have asked first-“ But Kai was cut off by Adam’s lips smashing against his own as they tightly wrapped their arms around his waist. Kai eagerly returned the kiss without a second thought, clinging onto their shoulders for support.

Adam gently bit the bottom of his lip. He guessed the intent, and slowly opened his mouth, allowing their tongue to explore every inch and corner inside his mouth. Kai wasn’t thinking, he just _was_ at the moment.

“…Ahem!” The sudden noise alerted the two teens and they quickly separated, a line of drool connecting their mouths. They turned to see Mira, her fist covering her mouth as she looked to the side. Benjamini was covering Benjamin’s eyes, and vice versa. “So anyways we should probably get going, right boys?” The animal whisperer said to the carnival brothers, and probably also to Kai and Adam, who glanced at each other and nodded sheepishly.

After saying their goodbyes to the carnival brothers, the three teens headed off Northwest. There was sort of a natural path to lead them where they needed to go, luckily. They didn’t pay much attention to where they were going, instead they were all huddled together. Kai would make various shapes with the flame he ignited in his hands and Adam and Mira would watch in awe.

“And this…is how I feel about you guys right now!” He exclaimed softly as he made a heart shape with the flames. He was feeling pretty confident now that he got his fire powers. Maybe he didn’t need to cut right now after all? Mira and Adam softly gasped, before stopping and enveloping him in a hug. “Aw! Kai! Your melting my heart right now!” Mira cooed out. Adam only let out a small giggle, staring at Kai endearingly.

Mira then lowered Kai’s hand, the flame disappearing into thin air. “…Anyways, Sit down Kai, I want to check your wounds.” She explained softly. Kai felt a little unsettled, but couldn’t pinpoint why exactly. He decided to ignore it and shrugged at Mira, sitting down on the ground. “OK, knock yourself out!”

Mira helped Kai take off his shirt, and began to check up on each wound. She would unwrap the bandage, determine the seriousness of the injury, and then either discard the bandage if it was healed enough or re-wrap it if the wound still looked serious. Some of the injuries were recent, others were from when he landed on that tree. He was thankful that bandage wrapped around the gash on his head was finally gone, it was a bit uncomfortable.

Adam took advantage of the moment and leaned against a nearby tree, studying the map and pinpointing spots they’ve been at before. Kai couldn’t help but stare at them. They were amazing by just existing. their smile, their voice, their personality, the way they laugh, the way their tongue rolls around inside his- _woah_ hold up there Kai! Don’t get too excited!

“…Oh yeah! This arm was already bandaged when I saw Adam patching you up back at the tree…what’s the story behind this?”

Kai’s eyes widened at Mira’s inquire. He remembered at that moment exactly why he was unsettled. It took every ounce of his willpower to not jerk away his now exposed arm, riddled with the cuts he had recently inflicted on himself. _He sure as hell didn’t want to act too suspicious_.

Adam answered Mira’s question for him. “Kai said he was trying to find a place to “go” after the…spaceship crash, when his arm got caught in a thorn bush. The small pricks are definitely gone by now but there’s this one long scar that you can probably still see.” The leader explained without looking up. Kai felt himself tense even more. There wasn’t just one now, there were multiple, and Mira was definitely going to point that out!

And Mira did. “…But there are multiple scars all over his arm…some are pretty recent actually…” She muttered the last part, loud enough for Adam to hear. They lowered the map and stared at Kai’s injured arm, widening their eyes a bit in confusion. “…Kai…what happened?” He questioned the red-head as they rushed towards him, kneeling down and glaring at them with worry.

Kai could feel his mind slowly breaking down. _He had absolutely no excuses planned for this moment_! _He was absolutely fucked_! Jerking his arm away from Mira’s grasp, he held it to his chest to stared at the ground, waiting for the inevitable.

“…They actually look more like knife…” Mira trailed off, and a dead silence followed. Kai glanced at his two companions only to see the look full of dread on Mira’s face, her eyes wide as saucers. Adam gazed at Mira with more confusion, raising an eyebrow.

In seconds Mira had yanked the satchel away from Adam, who protested angrily. Mira surfed through its contents before pulling out the knife. _The knife that Kai used for cutting._

He knew it was futile to protest, but he did anyway in a state of panic. “W-wait! Don’t-“

But it was too late, Mira had ripped the covering off, revealing a blood-stained knife for all three parties to see. After a few moments, Mira’s shaking hand dropped the knife to the floor. Her and Adam, who now realized what was going on, stared at Kai with intense horror and distress.

They knew.

_They fucking knew_.

He couldn’t look at them, he shut his eyes tightly and squeezed his injured arm closer to his chest. He wishes he had an extra pair to cover his ears as well.

“…When I…after helping Mira get that light bulb…you were wrapping up that arm…did you…?” Adam shakily asked Kai. He slowly nodded, refusing to open his eyes. “…Yes.” He muttered his reply.

“…And…at the shuttle. You said you wanted to “ _use the bathroom_ ” but you were _marking_ your _arms_ then as well?”

“…Yes.”

“…You said you were _fine_!”

“…I know.”

“ _I knew it! I **fucking** knew it! You were lying to me_!” Adam seethed. He sounded absolutely furious. Kai couldn’t help but open his eyes and stare at Adam in shock. _Adam said_ _fuck_.

The leader crawled towards Kai and tightly grabbed him by his upper arms. Tears streamed down their face, and it looked almost as if they were trying their best not to fall apart. Kai turned his head away, deciding the dirt floor was much more interesting to look at than Adam’s heartbroken face. “Look at me Kai… _Look at me_!” They commanded sharply. Kai, after a few moments, reluctantly turned his head, staring at Adam as tears brimmed in his eyes.

Adam took a deep long breath, and then exhaled. “You are the most amazing, funny, naturally talented guy I’ve ever met. Your very presence eases my nerves. When I’m around you, this world feels 10 times less horrible!” They began to aggressively shower him with compliments he didn’t deserve, causing Kai’s tears to escaping his eyes as he blushed embarrassingly. “I want you to know that there are people out there who care about you, who would be devastated by your death. Mira’s definitely one of those people, and I _especially_ am one of those people!”

Kai stared at Adam, completely stunned by his words. They wrapped their arms around him, burying their head into his chest. “…So _please_ …don’t hurt yourself like this _ever again._ ” They begged him, their voice sounded desperate, and almost a bit needy. Mira was covering her hands with her mouth, tears overflowed as she shifted her gaze back and forth between the knife and Kai. His heart felt torn up seeing his two best friends broken apart like this. _It was all his fault_.

“…I won’t.” He replied breathlessly, returning the tight embrace Adam was giving him. He didn’t know if he himself was lying or not, but for now he would stop, because hurting other people felt worse than not hurting himself.

Adam raised their head, and after a few moments of staring at Kai’s face, they gently pecked his cheek. “ _Thank god_.” They sighed in relief, and reluctantly separated from Kai. They slowly stood up and rubbed their hands against their face.

Mira also stood up and placed her hand on Adam’s shoulder, patting it comfortably. “When we get out of this Kai, we’re going to do everything in our power to get you help, OK? We can’t do much now but…at the very least, we can be there for you…” She crouched back down and crawled towards Kai, placing her hands on Kai’s shoulders. “Whatever your feeling in the future, you know you can tell us about it. OK Kai?” He nodded a yes to Mira’s question. Mira in return smiled somberly, and help Kai stand up.

They continued on, almost as if nothing had happened. Kai noticed how tense Mira was as she led the way, and how close Adam was to him, hovering over him protectively.

He’s horrible, _absolutely horrible_. What kind of _friend_ is he?

 _Why does he even exist_?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here's your new chapter folks. Don't forget to comment your thoughts! I hope you enjoy!


	23. Undead II, Heat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Green's an ugly color for the soul.

After a few hours of walking, the three teens took a break. The moon was slowly rising against the blackened sky, and the fireflies floated serenely around him and Adam as they sat next to each other, leaning on a tree.

Mira had gone off to “do her business,” so him and Adam were alone, which was awkward considering what had happened earlier. Kai stared continuously at his arm, as he couldn’t stop thinking about what happened, and about how much he wanted to cut but couldn’t anymore. The last time he asked Adam if he could take the satchel and “go to the bathroom,” Adam came along with him. Luckily Kai _actually_ had to go to the bathroom as well, otherwise the conversation that could have occurred once they reached the destination would have been…stressful…to say the least.

Kai felt pathetic, his resolve was a strong as a thin rubber band.

He let out a shaky sigh. It didn’t really matter anyways. Even if Adam didn’t supervise him, they would have checked his arm for any new marks. He was trapped, trapped with these dark thoughts that were consuming him and tearing at him from the inside.

His brooding was cut off by the sudden feeling of warmth around his waist. He glanced to the side to see Adam, who had wrapped their arm around him and held him close. “What are you thinking about right now?” They asked softly, their tone laced with concern. Kai stared back at his arms, contemplating whether he should spill his feelings or not.

…Well…they already know. What’s the point in hiding anymore?

“…I wanna cut so bad right now…” He mumbled, loud enough for Adam to hear. His heart was racing, because even if there wasn’t a point to hide anymore, it was still terrifying to speak his inner thoughts out loud like that, especially to Adam.

Kai felt the arm wrapped around his waist tighten. “…What…what does cutting do for you exactly? What do you get out of it?” Adam asked hesitantly, as if he wasn’t sure how to properly ask the question. Kai started fidgeting with his fingers. “…The pain and blood just…make all the bad thoughts go away.” He slowly replied. He glanced at Adam, who gazed at him with a saddened and sympathetic look. “…Like what thoughts?”

“…I’m…so pathetic you know? And cowardly, and stupid, and worthless, and useless-“ He would have continued his feverish rant, but Adam had cupped his face with their hands forcing him to look at them straight in the eye. “Pathetic? Your amazing! Cowardly? You’re the most courageous fire user I know! Remember when you saved Benjamini?” They waited for him to mutter a yes to the question before they continued. “Stupid? You fixed a spaceship for crying out loud, _and_ you fixed a teleporter! That requires serious brains! Useless and Worthless? With all these points I’m making can you really call yourself that?!”

Kai couldn’t help but blush at Adam’s compliments, mostly out of embarrassment than flattery. Did he really deserve them? All those nice words?

He wasn’t able to finish the thought, because a familiar pair of lips gently pressed against his lips.

The contact only lasted a few seconds, but to him it felt like minutes. He stared at the flushed Adam as they separated from him, his eyes wide as saucers. Adam awkwardly looked to the side in shame. “I’m…sorry. You just looked so adorable with your blush and-“

“Do it again.”

“…Huh?”

“K-Kiss me again please.”

Nothing else needed to be said. In a few short moments their lips were pressed together once more. It was slow at first, but got more intense with each moment. Before he knew it, he was being pinned onto the ground, furiously making out with his crush. Their tongue twirled around inside his mouth, rubbing against every corner.

He whimpered slightly when they suddenly separated, but the moment he felt their mouths against his neck, he let out a small mewl. _Holy shit_.

Adam bit and sucked his neck gently. The new sensation caused him to moan uncontrollably; it was insane how affected he was by this! After making a few more marks on his neck, they slowly pecked their way back to his lips, easily sliding their tongue back in.

The next time Adam released their lips from his, Kai couldn’t help but speak the one thing burning on his mind throughout this amazing process. “…Why did you say yes back at the shuttle? Why are you doing this? I’m…not that handsome you know…” He stared off to the side, his insecurities bare for Adam to see.

Kai saw Adam lower their head; their mouth close to his ear. “I wouldn’t be doing this to you right now if I didn’t find you absolutely stunning.” He whispered breathlessly. Kai shivered at the reply.

Adam gave Kai another peck, and the two would have probably continued their little moment, but Adam suddenly stopped. Kai stared at them in confusion as Adam looked up, and then abruptly sat up, gazing at something with embarrassment. He raised himself up by his elbows and looked behind him, only to find a _very_ embarrassed Mira standing a stiff as a rock. She was looking to the side and blushing profusely.

“…Y-you guys uh…continue. I’ll just…talk with the local fauna. Tweety the songbird had some _really_ interesting gossip she wanted to tell me about-“

“N-no Mira…uh. Sorry, me and Kai got a bit…we’ll stop.”

Needless to say, they all got back up and continued their journey. Kai was a bit disappointed, but did feel better somewhat. “…You’re a great friend Adam…thank you.” He said to the leader, who smiled at him, although the happiness didn’t fully reach their eyes. “…Yeah, you too Kai.” Adam extended their fist towards Kai. He smirked a bit, and gave his special friend a fist bump.

A part deep inside him wished the three of them would never find a way home, because once they did, him and Adam would most likely part ways.

Eventually, they reached what appeared to be their destination. In front of them was an old western ghost town. A tumbleweed passed by in front of the saloon at the center.

“…Well, time to find those Ishibo stealers…if they’re even here.” Adam growled lowly; he looked annoyed and angry. He walked towards a small building to the side, and Mira followed them. As for Kai? He stood in place. This entire scene was pretty freaky, especially with the cemetery nearby. It made him really uncomfortable.

Mira stopped when she noticed that Kai wasn’t coming with them, and turned her head towards him. “…Are you ok Kai?” He only shrugged in reply, staring at the cemetery worriedly. Specifically at a grave with a crow perching on it. Its feet covered part of the engraved name, sort of making it look like the grave was saying “Edvard **Die Kai**.” _God sometimes he wished_ -

He felt a hand being placed on his shoulder. Kai snapped out of his trance to see Mira, who gave him a comforting smile. “Hey, it’s going to be ok.” Kai couldn’t help but smile back a bit. Mira was the best; she often acted almost like a big sister to him.

Mira lead Kai inside the little cottage, holding his hand comfortingly. Inside was a medium sized room. It was plainly decorated, and a table rested in the middle. Adam stared at Mira and Kai as they entered and pointed down without saying a word. Taking the hint, Kai and Mira looked to the floor to see what appeared to be muddy footprints trekking all the way to a door at the side of a wall.

Welp, those strangers were definitely here, _that’s_ for sure.

Adam beckoned for Kai and Mira, and they all slowly walked towards the door. Adam raised his hand towards the door knob-

And suddenly, without explanation, they were pinned to the wall behind them by the table, which was now floating. The sudden impact made Kai groan in pain; the wound from that alien was still fresh.

The door was opened, revealing none other than the glowing boy, raising his hands as if he was controlling the table. Two other teens emerged behind him, the red beanie guy, and the flying girl.

The flying girl began to glare at the glowing boy. “…Reeve, Drop it.” She commanded them with authority. She seemed to be the leader of their group. “Reeve” did not drop it, seeming to ignore her.

The flying girl wasn’t having any of this disrespect. “ **I said _drop_ it Reeve**!” After a few moments, Reeve begrudgingly lowered their hand. Their eyes stopped glowing and the table, along with the Adam, Mira, and Kai, fell to the floor. The three of them looked up to meet their possible foes.

Instead of glares from all of them, the flying girl wasn’t glaring at all. She looked rather…embarrassed? “I am _so_ sorry. Reeve has a habit of _overreacting_ and getting too… _intense_. _Don’t you Reevie_?” Her cold, reprimanding stare was chilling, but Reeve seemed mostly unaffected by her intimidation. Instead he raised an eyebrow in confusion. “…Wha-“

“And it’s _so_ hard to tell your friends from your enemies in this place, we don’t know _who_ to trust!” The flying girl cut Reeve off before he could even say the first syllable. She giggled a bit, as if remembering the incident at the temple as a simple mistake.

Kai looked to the side to see an absolutely pissed off Adam and a cautious Mira, both of them glaring at the three strangers like their life depended on it. Adam quickly stood and helped him and Mira up. They then surfed through their satchel and picked up the bone, which they still kept all this time. “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t knock you all out right now.” They seethed out as he prepared their stance for a fight. Shortly after that, the purple scar around their wrist started glowing, causing them to drop the bone and double over in pain, wincing.

The flying girl raced over to Adam, gently placing a hand on his shoulder. “You certainly don’t look like you’re in good shape to “knock us out!”” She raised her other hand to lift Adam’s head by his chin, forcing him to stare at her. “Please believe us, we don’t want to do you any harm.” She mewled out, almost as if she was begging for forgiveness.

Kai was irritated.

 _Irritatedirritatedirritatedirritatedirritatedirritated_ -

That girl was so pretty she could probably turn gay men bi! Kai knew for sure that if he wasn’t head over heels for Adam, he’d probably be completely head over heels for her!

Instead however something dark brewed in his chest, and he glared at the girl with vehemence. How fucking _dare_ she? Can’t she see that Adam’s uncomfortable?

“Yeah dude, chill out, _we’re all homos here_!”

Everyone stared at the beanie guy, who scratched his head sheepishly when he realized how that phrase could be taken out of context. “…Y’know…homos as in homo sapiens?”

An idea clicked in Kai’s head, and he sauntered toward Adam, wrapping his arm around their neck. “Well…he isn’t wrong about me and Adam.” He stated bluntly as he kissed their cheek, glaring at the flying girl discreetly.

The flying girl instantly got the message, and removed her hands from Adam. “Oh my!~ So you two are dating huh?” She raised an eyebrow and gazed at Kai with a cocky expression. Kai was more than happy to answer her question. “Well, not really. We’re in a casual relationship. Also, it’s more like I’m bi and Adam’s _100% not interested in girls_ , isn’t that right Adam?” He turned his gaze to Adam, who was staring at him with utter confusion. “…uh…y-yeah?” They hesitantly replied.

Kai turned back to the flying girl. “It’s nice to meet you, I’m Kai, this of course is Adam, and over there is Mira! _Why don’t you introduce yourself_?” The flying girl smirked, before running her hands through her hair. “I’m Vanessa, the lovely man who just pinned you to the wall is Reeve, and of course the other lovely man I have with me is Skeet. Say hi Skeet!” Skeet waved at them as Vanessa commanded.

“I have to say, Kai is such a _lovely_ name! So unique! I've never heard of it before~” She cooed out, her tone laced with a hint of sarcasm.

 **Fucking bitch!** “Well I mean, not as lovely as Vanessa! It rolls off the tongue _really_ well! _I’m sure all the boys love saying it_!” Kai smirked as he gave his comeback. Whatever he was feeling right now, it made him more confident than he had ever felt since he woke up from the bunker. He ignored the insults and warnings that screamed in his head as a searing hatred filled him, hatred for Vanessa.

Skeet and Adam stared at the scene in confusion, while Reeve and Mira glanced at each other with a knowing expression, before watching it play out, one for entertainment, and the other in concern

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here have some pain! Hope you enjoy the new chapter and feel free to comment your thoughts.


	24. Undead III, Mockingbird

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Does she look like Mother Theresa?

The two teams got acquainted with one another. Adam, Kai, and Mira were surprised to learn that Vanessa, Skeet, and Reeve were in the same situation as them! Supposedly they also woke up in a bunker with no memories, and were told by the tree to find the Ishibo. This of course meant that their goals were intertwined.

“Hey, if we both need the Ishibo, why don’t we just all go to the tree together, that ways we can all go home?” Mira suggested as she placed her elbows on the table, which Vanessa made Reeve put back in its place. Reeve smirked at Mira from the opposite side of the table for a few moments, before staring at his fingers. “Don’t think so.” He stated bluntly.

Vanessa, who was sitting right next to Reeve, was quick to interject. “That weird guy took it from us and transported us to some dumb theme park North of here.” She explained with a bored tone. “It was really bothersome!”

“Well, the only thing we can do now is prepare ourselves. Who knows how strong that weird guy is…” Adam seemed to have gotten somewhat used to the three strangers. He still seemed cautious, but wasn’t raising his weapon, so that was good.

Kai, who was sitting right next to him, nodded in agreement. “…Yeah. Looks like I discovered my fire powers just in time.” He spoke with a slightly playful tone, staring at the small fireball he made with his hands. Skeet gazed at it in awe. “Dude, I’ll never get over that. It’s so cool!”

Vanessa glanced at Skeet, and then turned her gaze to Adam. “Come to think of it…what are your and Mira’s powers? We know Kai has pyrokinesis, and of course you know all of our powers _soooo_.” She drew out the last word, waiting for a reply. Mira went first. “I can talk to animals and breathe underwater. I can swim pretty well too!” Reeve raised an eyebrow. “Like Ariel from the little mermaid?” Mira giggled and nodded in reply. “Yeah, that’s actually what I first thought too!”

Everyone stared at Adam expectantly, waiting for him to explain his talents. After a few moments of silence, he finally spoke up. “I have super strength, and can fight really well…at least, I did before I got this…” He lifted up his injured arm, showing the purple scar for all to see. “Akuma made it with the Ishibo. It doesn’t hurt much now, but every once and awhile it’ll start glowing and a sharp pain will show up-“ As he was explaining, the scar started to glow, causing Adam to bite his lip tightly and wince in pain. “…L-like now.” He managed to utter out. Everyone stared with concern, even Reeve seemed a bit uncomfortable. Kai looked to the side in shame. It’s _his_ fault that Adam’s in pain right now.

“Oh wow! How heroic! Can I feel your muscles?” She reached her hand out for their arm.

“Anyways, we should probably start practicing our powers. Wanna show me your excellent flying skills Vanessa?~” He lilted out as he abruptly stood up from the table, staring at Vanessa with a passive aggressive smile. He put the thought of Adam’s pain in the back of his head as his irritation rose once again. Vanessa stood up gracefully, giving the same smile. “Oh of course Kai! I’d love to see those dancing little flames of yours!~” She returned with the same lilting tone.

They both walked out of the door, leaving behind a very confused Adam and Skeet, a very amused Reeve, and a very concerned Mira.

At about 10 feet away from the cottage, close to the cemetery walls, Vanessa stopped and turned towards Kai. “Listen up _Jackass_ , I’m only going to say this once, so listen carefully.” She seethed out, glaring daggers at him. “ _You ain’t shit_! You got that?! Just because you have some _hot boy toy_ wrapped around your little finger doesn’t mean your better than me, so step the _fuck_ down and learn your place!”

Kai wasn’t bothered by the insults directed at him. They were all true. Instead, Kai was absolutely furious at Vanessa for calling Adam his “boy toy.” “ _Excuse me_?” He countered angrily. “Don’t you _dare_ call Adam that you piece of shit!”

Vanessa smirked cockily. “What’re you going to do man-slut? Oh, by the way, how much did you have to beg to get Adam to sleep with you?”

“First off, we haven’t slept with each other yet! Second off, it didn’t take much actually! He said yes the first time I suggested we become friends with benefits, didn’t even have to beg!”

“Yet? So you _do_ want to-“

“Yeah, but at least I’m going for a somewhat realistic goal. Do you honestly think your that fine? _Even if you manage to give him a bisexual awakening_ , _Adam’s completely out of your league bitch_!”

A sudden knowing smirk appeared on Vanessa’s face “…Oh my god you’re in love with him aren’t you!”

Kai widened his eyes and looked to the side, faltering “…I…”

“Oh wow! You just went from horny to fucking pathetic! _You’re nothing more than a sad wittle shit who’s willing to accept **anything** from your wittle crush_!” She spoke mockingly.

Kai had nothing to counter with, he only continued to stare at the floor, clinging to his arm.

Vanessa sauntered up to him, and lifted his head up with her fingers. “Face it. You’ve just lost. Why don’t you stop being so grabby with him and let me do as I please?” She commanded lowly. “I mean, he isn’t even yours anyways. Tuck that green monster deep inside you ok hooker?”

Ah, so that’s what he’s been feeling. Jealously. He was jealous.

And Vanessa was right, he sure as hell didn’t deserve to be so. That make-out session earlier made him forget his place.

“…Yeah, go off I guess! Have fun you whore.” But he was way too pissed at Vanessa to just let it go.

“ **Excuse me**?” She seethed out, her expression getting more and more ticked off by the second as she processed the insult. “ **What the _fuck_ did you just call me**?”

Kai ignored the ominous feeling he had. “I mean, it’s only fair since you called me a hooker! I guess we’re not too different, like the pot and the kettle!”

Approximately 5 seconds later, Vanessa and Kai were duking it out in the cemetery. Pulling hair, shooting fire, kicking from above, screaming insults. Your typical fight.

The other four teens heard the ruckus from the cottage and raced out to behold Vanessa, who grabbed Kai by his shirt, kicked between his legs, and dropped him to the ground below.

“ **Eat dick cocksucker**!” Vanessa shouted at Kai as he struggled to stand back up.

“ **I’d love to but you seem to be doing that pretty nicely by yourself**!” Kai loudly retorted, growing a large fireball in his hands. “ **So I think I’ll leave you to it**!” He shot the flame laser at the flying girl, nearly searing her hair when she dodged just in time.

Adam stared in horror, and sprinted off to stop the fight, but Reeve extended his arm to stop him. “No way dude, I’ve been waiting for the past 20 minutes for this. Just sit back and enjoy the show.” Adam glared at him in disbelief. “ **You’re seriously just going to let them kill each other**?!” He shouted in anger.

Mira placed her hand on Adam’s shoulder. “They won’t kill each other.” She sighed out, watching the scene with a knowing look. “They’ll be done once they get too exhausted.”

Skeet, who had caught up with them, saw the disaster unfolding in the cemetery and wheezed in response to the scene. “O-oh wow, this is _hilarious_! I’m going to see if there’s any popcorn in the cottage!” Skeet raced back into the cottage excitedly. “I’ll be sure to bring some for your guys!” He added on before his head disappeared from the door.

Adam, Reeve, and Mira walked closer to the battle scene. Reeve rested his arms comfortably against the wall surrounding the cemetery, While Adam and Mira watched with concern, although one was 10 times more worried than the other. Skeet eventually joined them. Unfortunately, there was no popcorn, but he was still glad to be able to watch.

Kai and Vanessa fought for around 5 minutes. The comebacks they shouted at each other were like poisonous arrows being shot at the speed of sound. The physical damage they did to each other was a lot too. Kai had a bloody nose and various small scratches and bruises all over his body at this point, and Vanessa’s hair, clothes, and body were covered in small burns. They both noticed the others watching them, but neither of them cared.

Vanessa darted towards Kai and lifted him high into the air by his neck. She clung tightly, nearly choking him. “I’m going easy on you sweet-cheeks! If you can’t handle me at my worst then the next time you piss me off, take my advice and _jump off a cliff_ to spare yourself the pain I’ll inflict on you!”

Kai stared directly into Vanessa’s eyes, giving her a blank stare. “I don’t need you to tell me to kill myself. _My mind already does that for me_.” He smirked cockily. He thought of that comeback quicker than the others! He was on a roll-

…Wait… _oh shit_.

He blinked, and stared at Vanessa’s shocked expression. He widened his eyes when he realized _he just told a complete stranger that he has suicidal thoughts_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kai and Vanessa are off to a great start it seems. Hope you enjoy this chapter! Feel free to comment your thoughts.


	25. Undead IV, Scar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nothing but a third of his will is left.

Vanessa’s tight grip around his neck loosened, and she quickly flew back down to the ground, setting Kai in the middle of the graveyard. Kai collapsed and coughed a bit, trying to recover from being nearly choked.

Vanessa knelt down next to Kai, and offered her hand. Kai hesitantly took it, and she helped him stand up. He stared off to the side, avoiding her gaze.

“…Are…” She trailed off, also staring to the side. She looked uncomfortable, and confused, as if she didn’t know how to handle the situation. “…Are you…ok?” She finished her question quietly, gently scratching her arm.

“…Yeah…I’m fine. I just…” He also trailed off, glancing at the uncomfortable Vanessa, who was still holding his hand. “…Have issues?” She attempted to finish the sentence for him. He nodded, deciding to go with that.

“…You’ll…fit right in then. _We all have our little things_.” She gave him a reassuring smile. “I’m…sorry about all this. To be honest I can get…a bit insecure at times, and making men fall for me helps me feel better about myself…But I’ll back off this once. We…seem to have some things in common.”

Kai finally fully turned his gaze towards her, a bit shocked, but also somewhat…relieved. “…Yeah I…thank you. Let’s…start over.” He reluctantly extended his hand; his “hatred” for Vanessa slowly dissipating. “I’m Kai.” Vanessa, after a few moments of silence, took his hand, and gave him a handshake. “I’m Vanessa. It’s nice to meet you, honestly.” They both smiled at each other, before slowly walking towards the four teens that watched in confusion.

Only a few steps were made toward their destination when Kai felt something grab his foot, making him trip and fall. Vanessa looked behind her, only to see decaying hands and legs slowly extending from the graves surrounding them.

“Zombies, of course there’d be zombies.” He let out an exhausted sigh. Was there no end to the bullshitery they were being forced to go through?

It wasn’t long before Adam, Mira, Skeet, and Reeve joined Vanessa and Kai, as they saw the undead slowly rise from the graves from the distance. “Brace yourselves everyone! Consider this practice!” Adam shouted, before grabbing his signature bone and cracking the nearest zombie’s head open. Black blood sprayed across the cemetery ground as the six teens defended themselves to their best ability.

Vanessa flew in the air and worked on gathering groups of zombies towards Kai, who would incinerate them. They would burn almost like they were hay piles stacked together.

The local fauna heard Mira’s cries for help, and before the zombies knew it, numerous squirrels surrounded many of the zombies, blinding them and allowing Mira to have the upper hand as she kicked her way through.

Reeve was busy using his telekinesis to pin the zombies down with giant rocks. If one got too close, he would pull out a switchblade that was hidden in his pocket and stab the enemy right through the head. Naturally Reeve was the one that was covered the most in the black blood, as well as his knife, its blade drenched in both black _and_ red colors surprisingly. Reeve must have used it before, Kai noted.

Adam was busy going through hell. Overexerting himself seemed to make his scar glow more often, so Skeet was his essential backup when Adam couldn’t move from the pain. Skeet’s speed was no match for the zombies; he could take out multiple in less than 1 second.

When the last undead being was laid to the ground, the 6 teens collapsed in exhaustion, the adrenaline quickly wearing off. No words were spoken for a good 2 minutes as the three teens panted heavily and slowly recovered their strength.

Skeet was the first to break the silence. “…Y’know, those used to be people.”

…

All six abruptly stood up and glared at Skeet. He stared back with confusion. “…What? I’m not wrong?”

“Why the _fuck_ would you say that?” Reeve accused them, their eye twitching. “We literally just killed more than fifty zombies and you telling us that those zombies used to be _human beings_ does not help make the situation any better _fuckwit_!”

“I…agree with Reeve for once, but to change the topic, could you guys seriously stop swearing? at least around me?” He reprimanded them with a disappointed look. Vanessa raised an eyebrow and began to giggle. “Oh wow, looks like we have a mama’s boy in this group!” She mocked the leader, who glared daggers at her in return.

Kai blinked. Mama’s boy? He felt…

... _He_ …

Clinging onto his self-scarred arm, he decided to push that uncomfortable feeling deep inside of him.

Skeet joined in on Vanessa’s jesting. “Yeah Adam, you really need to let loose a little! Fuck is only a bad word if you perceive it to be!”

And then Reeve also joined in, smirking playfully. “It’s really not a big deal. Heck, it’s been proven scientifically that a person can withstand pain longer if they’re allowed to swear!”

Adam’s eye twitched, and he sighed as he rubbed his face against his hand. He didn’t defend himself however, and accepted his fate as the three strangers continued their attempt at antagonizing him. Mira walked over to Adam and patted him comfortingly on the back.

Kai watched the slightly sad, but also slightly amusing scene with a neutral expression. It was kind of hard to accept that this would be his life now. With three more people, they were less a team now and more a united group.

And that meant that Kai could fade out into the background more easily…maybe he’d finally be able to sneak in a few cuts while Adam and Mira were occupied with the others? He’d have to slice a more inconspicuous part of his body…maybe his thighs?

Kai smiled a bit in excitement. Yeah, this was definitely a change for the better. He began to walk towards Adam and Mira. He almost tripped a bit on the way. He must have stepped on some rock-

Without explanation, a large hole cracked open under Mira and Adam, sending them down, down, down into the abyss below.

The three strangers stared in shock. Kai meanwhile didn’t even bother to try to comprehend what just happened. He raced towards the hole. “ **Guys**! **_No_**!” He screeched. When he got within three feet of the hole, it began to close off, leaving the ground as it was just 10 seconds ago.

A few moments passed, and Kai collapsed to the ground. His ears were ringing, and he could feel his mind slowly breaking as he realized what just happened.

Adam and Mira were gone.

 _Adam and Mira were gone_.

It hurt. He was in pain. He doubled over, clutching his chest and tightly shutting his eyes as they spilled tears onto the floor. He was alone. They were gone. They weren’t coming back. How could they? They just got swallowed by the earth!

 _Ithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurts_ -

He felt something snap inside him. And then he didn’t feel pain anymore.

 **He felt empty**.

Didn’t he choose to live for _them_? Wasn’t he only alive because he chose to _be_ with _them_?

If they weren’t here anymore then… _what was the point of living_?

… **There’s no point anymore**.

His thoughts were interrupted when he felt a shaking hand on his shoulder. “K-Kai I’m… _so_ sorry I…I wish I could have done something but…” Vanessa faltered, sniffling for a bit before regaining her composure. “But we…we have no time to grieve. It’s just us now Kai…there’s nothing we can do.”

And then Kai found a reason to live again.

If Adam and Mira were gone…then…he had to start living for Vanessa, Reeve, and Skeet. It was that simple.

His mind screamed at him, shouting about how tired he was of living, about how much he _needed_ Adam and Mira, _about how much he wanted to join them_. He ignored the screams, and focused on the emptiness that still filled his body.

He had found a purpose, but he realized that he would never be OK…not at all. Adam and Mira were the first people he had met, and without them he…felt like a part of him was missing. Especially with Adam.

Kai wouldn’t kill himself, not yet. After he helps Vanessa and her friends though…well… _he’ll think about it later_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 3 special chapters will be coming out soon. Not all at once, but they'll be coming, stay tuned for them! Feel free to express your thoughts in the comments below.


	26. Reeve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Extreme emotions are a hindrance for living life. Pour it out and go about your day.

Reeve was mad a Vanessa.

Well, he was always mad at her really. She was a bitch, and she knew it too, but Reeve was mad at Vanessa because she dumped Kai on him.

“He refuses to move. I don’t even think he has the _strength_ to move right now, so carry him back into the cottage with us. I want to keep an eye on him.” Was what she said. Reeve didn’t bother to argue with her, he had done that before and got his ass thoroughly screamed at. Had a headache for hours.

And so here was Reeve, shuffling towards the cottage with what almost felt like a corpse on his back. Seriously, the kid didn’t weigh anything. Did they even eat? Were they even still alive? They were way to still for it to not be concerning.

“You OK dipshit?”

“…”

“Sorry, that was stupid to ask.” **Of course the kid wasn’t OK**! **They just saw their best friends die**!

 _God, he’s feeling_ _way too much_ right now. _He’s gonna have to cut soon to calm himself down_.

Actually, fuck it, right now. “Yo Vanessa, you mind if I take a little detour? I’m feeling the itch.” Vanessa looked behind herself, glaring at Reeve. “Sure edge-lord. Try not to cut a vein; we need that telekinesis.” She sighed out before disappearing into the door to the cottage.

Reeve changed directions, and walked towards a nearby creek. He laid Kai down on the floor and pulled out his switchblade. Disgusting, it was covered in zombie goo. He’ll need to fix that…

He rinsed the blade in the creek, and lifted up one of his pant-legs. A myriad of cuts marked his thighs, and he prepared to make the first slice-

“…You…you’re allowed to self-harm?”

Reeve glanced at Kai, who actually managed to move somewhat. They laid on their side, staring at Reeve with shocked eyes. He rolled his eyes; _here we go_. “…Yes? You aren’t gonna scold me about how unhealthy it is right-“

“N-no…I was just wondering if you could maybe give the blade to me once you’re done. **I haven’t been able to cut for hours since Adam and Mira found out**. I could…use the release… _especially now_.”

For once Reeve was completely caught off guard.

Kai didn’t look like the type to slice his body. Sure, his depression was obvious at first glance, but the kid looked like he’d faint at the sight of blood.

And yet here they were…

Reeve decided not to dwell on the revelation and just focus on asking questions. “…Wait…you got caught? How?”

“Mira was tending my wounds…it’s a long story, I uh…fell on top of that talking tree and then _kept_ falling, got a lot of wounds. Anyways later on I wasn’t paying attention and Mira unwrapped the bandage around the arm I cut-“

“OK that was a big mistake. _Never_ cut your arms. That’s way too obvious.”

“Y-yeah I know now. Anyways when I first started Adam caught me right away, but I told him the wound was from a thorn bush and he seemed convinced-”

“I’m guessing Adam never took first aid.”

“No…I don’t think he did. He’s horrible at wrapping wounds, but I mean I’m worse so…a-anyways, when Mira saw the scars much later, she instantly could tell they weren’t thorn bush scars, and sort of just connected the dots from there.”

“Did you make it obvious that you were depressed or something?”

“I-I mean, I tried to hide it, and I thought I was doing a good job, but Adam’s really observant, and Mira’s emotional intuition is just off the charts I guess?”

“When’s the last time you cut?”

“…I don’t…I’m guessing like…three hours?”

Reeve winced. He could barely make it to forty minutes without cutting and this kid had to suffer for more than an hour. He handed Kai the switchblade. “Take it dude, you need it more than I do.”

Kai eagerly grabbed the switchblade, and lowered his shirt’s collar. Various scars were all over his shoulder, although they appeared to be _old_. “Would this be a better spot? I think I had these even before I woke up to be honest, so the me with memories must have thought the shoulders were a good spot.” Reeve stared at the cuts, thinking of a reply, before lifting his gaze towards Kai’s face…which looked…sort of energetic? “Yeah, unless Adam and Mira have already seen your shoulders as well.”

Kai’s expression darkened, and he stared off into the woods in front of them. “…They aren’t coming back…not after…”

“Maybe, but you can never be too careful. I’d go with your lower legs. You have the pants for it.” The advice he gave them wasn’t ignored. They lifted one of their pant legs to their knees and began to make various cuts. Reeve slowly got more and more concerned, as Kai wouldn’t stop. The cuts got longer and deeper, and he seemed to be almost in a trance.

At a certain point he deemed that enough was enough. He grabbed Kai’s wrist before the blade could create another wound. “I think you’re good.” Kai snapped out of his daze and stared at Reeve sheepishly. “…Yeah, you’re right. I already feel a bit lightheaded.” Reeve was given back his switchblade, which he cleaned, and then used to make a few cuts of his own on his thighs. His emotions slowly drained with the blood, leaving behind a clear head.

Kai lowered his pant-leg and stared at Reeve as he made his incisions. “It feels pretty good to know someone who’s going through something similar to you.” He stated bluntly after a while, smiling softly. “Thanks for this Reeve.”

Reeve made one final cut before rinsing the blade again and stuffing it in his pocket. “…No problem…if you ever need to “let go” for a bit…I guess I’ll be there.” Reeve was uncomfortable with how nice it felt to talk to Kai; to talk to someone that was sort of like him. Kai stood up with vigor. “Yeah, same. Us self-harmers have to stick together you know?” He gave a wink, which made Reeve feel…well…he didn’t really know what he felt at that moment. All he knew was that happy Kai was an absolute dork, and that realization compelled Reeve to smile a bit.

“We should probably head back into the cottage. Vanessa and Skeet are waiting for us!” Kai suggested before sprinting off excitedly. Reeve sat in silence for a moment, watching the red-head sprint towards the cottage before he himself stood up and shuffled towards the same destination.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'know how the tags said that the VanReeSke team is a bad influence? Yeah. 
> 
> Enjoy the chapter and feel free to comment what you think!


	27. Skeet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes Skeet wished he was born in the 50s, when people didn't care.

“What are you doing?”

“Pouring some Rose, you?”

“Marlboros.”

Nothing else needed to be said. Vanessa rolled her eyes and put the bottle of blush wine down on the table. “Have fun with lung cancer Skeet.” Skeet only smirked. “Fuck you Vanessa.” He retorted as he wandered out the door.

A lot of bullshit happened tonight, and Skeet just wanted to cool down and de-stress. He isn’t really the cool and suave guy by nature; it takes work to calm his nerves, which can rise higher than Mount Everest at times. Was that an exaggeration? Probably.

He opened the package and pulled out a cigarette. Shoving the package in his pocket, he pulled out a lighter he found in the saloon. To his dismay, it didn’t work. It ran out of fluid. _Shit_.

He heard footsteps coming closer and closer, and looked up to see Mr. Edge-lord and what seemed to be his new companion, Fire-boy, who just lost his Max and his Shark-girl.

“Sorry we were gone so long. Kai got a bit too carried away with the blade.” Reeve deadpanned. Skeet widen his eyes and glanced at Kai, who looked the complete opposite of how he looked 2 minutes ago.

So scratch that, it’s Mr. Edge-lord and his sidekick Fire-mc-Edge. Skeet was surprised that Kai was even depressed-

Wait… _Fire_.

“Glad you found a new cut-mate buddy. Could you lend him to me for a bit? My lighter isn’t working.” Just as he expected, Reeve raised an eyebrow at him, questioning his life choices. “Sure, just try not to destroy the boy’s lungs in the process. Is Vanessa inside?”

Skeet ignored the insult and answered Reeve’s question. “Yeah.”

“Is she drinking?”

“Yeah.”

“What kind”

“Rose.”

“Good enough for me, have fun with smoke-lungs Kai.” Reeve smacked Kai’s back, which made them wince in response. “C-could you maybe not touch me there? I got a really bad scar from an alien that was-“

Reeve already began to walk inside the cottage. “Yeah I don’t wanna know the context behind _that_. Hope it feels better Kai!” Was all Reeve spoke before shutting the door behind him.

And now Skeet had to deal with the “new recruit” by himself. He wasn’t mad, just worried he’d make a bad impression. He thought that Kai was pretty cool, and didn’t want to scare him off. “So my man, could you maybe help a fellow out and light this cig for me?” He asked casually, leaning against the outer-wall of the cottage.

Kai stared at the cigarette, and then at Skeet with a concerned and confused face. “Isn’t smoking not good for you?” He questioned bluntly. Skeet rolled his eyes. “ _Isn’t slicing your skin not good for you_?” He countered with a smirk.

“…Good point.” Was all Kai said before producing a small flame in front of the cigarette with one of his fingers. Skeet placed the cigarette in his mouth and breathed in. He then exhaled the smoke to the side, so the fumes would avoid Kai. He was a smoker, but he wasn’t an asshole…well, not as much of an asshole as Vanessa and Reeve.

Kai watched this process repeat for a minute, before breaking the ice. “So…what does it feel like to smoke?” He asked hesitantly, as if he wasn’t really sure if he wanted to know. Skeet shrugged. “Eh…kinda like if you mixed a bit of caffeine and a dash of weed in a blender, and then gave it a “meh” taste. Kind of hard to explain, you’d have to do it yourself in order to really understand.”

“…Then…Can I try one?”

If Skeet was an alcoholic like Vanessa, he’d be spitting out his drink right now.

He gazed at the red-head with concern. “You sure man?” He didn’t really need to say anything else. They all knew the effects of smoking; it’s been printed into people’s brains by anti-smoking ads since the 90s.

“…Yeah, I mean…why not you know?” Skeet could tell that Kai was in a dark, dark place based on the blank expression that followed. He shrugged, and pulled another cigarette from the box in his pocket. “You’re definitely not gonna like it at first; but the effects are worth it in my book.” He handed Kai the cigarette, who took it and lit it with his fingers.

After a few moments of standing there with a confused face, Skeet intervened. “Put it in your mouth, hold the smoke in there for a bit, and then let it all out, like this…” He performed the action he just described, and Kai began to follow suit. The moment they inhaled the tiniest bit of smoke however, they coughed it all out. Skeet patted his shoulder in comfort. “Yeah, it’s difficult the first time. You’ll get used to it. Try again.”

The two teens leaned against the outer-wall of the cottage. One gave directions to the other like a big brother would their sibling. And both began to smile and laugh as the nicotine kicked in and fogged their mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh oh.
> 
> Feel free to comment your thoughts below! Hope you enjoy the new chapter.


	28. Vanessa

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Errbody in the club gettin' tipsy~

Vanessa finished the glass, and grabbed the wine bottle, pouring more into the glass to drink. She was already feeling lightheaded, but it wasn’t enough, not yet, _one more_.

“Wow Vanessa, keep this up and you might black out.” Reeve said with a sarcastic tone. He was only on his first glass, as for herself, she lost count a while ago. “Fuck off Reeve, I don’t ridicule your cutting habits, so don’t ridicule my drinking habits!” She slurred out.

“But you do actually, so fuck you.”

“F~fuck you too bitch-boy.” She started hiccuping; she could feel her thought process deteriorating. _Good_ , she wanted to stop thinking for a while. _Putting up that ruse around Adam, Mira, and Kai was exhausting_.

The two teens were alerted by the door to the cottage opening, presenting a thoroughly relaxed Kai and Skeet. “Sup jackasses, how’ve you two been?” Skeet asked, his tone as chill as an iceberg.

“You reek of cigarettes.” Reeve deadpanned.

“You reek of booze.” Skeet countered. And that was the end of that topic.

Kai hacked a bit, some light smoke coming from his mouth. Reeve widened his eyes and glared at Skeet. “You didn’t force him to-“ But he was interrupted By Skeet, waving his hand lazily. “No no, Kai asked for a cig himself. Ain’t that right?” Skeet turned his head to Kai, who nodded slowly, his hair slightly more disheveled than it usually was. “Yeah. It’s actually not as bad as I thought, I feel great!” He giggled a bit and sat down next to Vanessa who was finishing the glass she had poured.

Skeet glanced at her before turning towards Reeve. “How many glasses?” Reeve replied to Skeets inquiry by raising his hand and sticking out 3 fingers. Kai blinked, and then widened his eyes, turning to Vanessa with shock. “W-wait a second, is that alcohol? Are you drinking alcohol?” She couldn’t help but smile at the slow-minded red-head. “Yeah, want some?”

Reeve sighed, and gazed at Vanessa with disappointment. “Vanessa I don’t think Kai would-“

“…Yeah, sure!”

Reeve and Skeet stared at Kai, their mouths hanging open as Vanessa poured a drink in her cup and gave it to them. “Bottoms up dipshit! You’re going to like…f~feel amazing, I swear!” She started to uncontrollably laugh by the end of her sentence, grabbing the wine bottle and straight up taking a swig straight from it. Man, everything was just awesome right now! The world was spinning with pretty colors~

Kai breathed in, breathed out, and then downed the glass with resolution in one go. Setting it back on the table, his cheeks were already beginning to turn into a bright shade of red. “…Ooooh wow, Y~you right! I feel…great~” He somehow managed to slur out.

As hiccups filled the background, Reeve and Skeet both internally facepalmed.

Reeve abruptly stood up. “I’m turning in for the night. Have a wonderful night fellas” He sighed out as he walked into the bedrooms and slammed the door behind him. Skeet grabbed the unfinished glass that Reeve left behind and took a few sips before shuffling out of the cottage. “I’m going for a walk!” He said from the distance.

Vanessa sighed in relief when the two party-killers left the room. “Greaaaat! Now we can have our fun in peace, ain’t that right Kai?” Kai nodded vigorously, struggling to hold in his laughter as the booze filled his head. “Yeah girlfriend! Hey, give me another glass!”

As the wine bottle got emptier and emptier, Vanessa and Kai would laugh hysterically and talk about various things, from their first impressions with the others to how they first discovered their powers.

“So like…I was tying my shoelaces, but being the idiot I was, I fell off the cliff I was close to. That’s how I learned to fly!”

“Daaaaamn, that’s not as weird as how I discovered my powers! I was…woah where are we?”

“Bitch I…like…have no idea~ but continue?”

“Oh yeah yeah yeah! So uh…I was like, riding this horror ride at that theme park and the cart caught on fire. I threw benjamini out in time and while I was being surrounded in the flames I figuredoutIcouldcontrolfire!”

“Wuh?” She didn’t really catch that; Kai slurred the last part together really fast, almost excitedly. He giggled a bit, finishing his fourth glass. “Sorry I uh…I figured out I could control fire. I like…moved my hand and a whole bunch and the flames followed me; it was amazing~” He grabbed the nearly empty wine bottle, pouring another glass. “ _For the first time since I woke up I didn’t feel like a completely useless piece of trash_!”

Vanessa instantly enveloped Kai in a tight hug, giving him a sloppy cheek kiss. “Noooo! You’re not trash! Don’t insult yourself you’re so pretty~” Honestly now, how could Kai think that about himself? _The dude was fucking amazing_! She would usually _never_ admit it out loud but something…well… _probably the alcohol_ , compelled her to say so.

Kai began to have a laughing fit. “But it’s truuuuuuue!” He countered back playful, burying his head against her shoulder. They were both _totally_ smashed.

Vanessa had a sudden thought. Kai was a guy, and he _did_ say he was bisexual, so it was all cool right? To maybe fool around with him a bit. His “special friend” is gone anyways.

One part of her, the part not affected by the alcohol, screamed at her to sober up, _to not ruin the plan she had already figured out_.

But Vanessa was tired of being responsible. All it led to was stress, suicidal thoughts, and increasing apathy.

So she kissed Kai on the lips. The red-head was shocked at first, but after a few moments, he reluctantly gave in to the kiss. That was the last thing she remembered before everything faded into black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh no.
> 
> So here are the other team's special chapters. It should resume to the usual four for each episode format now, at least until Adam's chapter comes along.


	29. The Riddle I, Blackout

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mistakes were made.

Kai woke up on the floor with Vanessa, who was also on the floor clinging onto him.

He was confused to say the least. The last thing he remembered was Vanessa kiss…

_Kissing him_.

Kai quickly sat up, Vanessa’s arms fell from around his neck and landed on the floor. He frantically looked around, only to find that he wasn’t in the cottage. Instead he was in a different building. Table sets were scattered all over the place, and a bar was near one of the wall-shelfs, which was filled with all types of alcohol.

Oh, they were in that saloon in the ghost town…at least…he was assuming they were.

… _God_ , what _happened_ last night? Of course, besides that kiss that happened. Kai could still remember the discomfort he felt in that moment.

Kai rubbed his face with his hands and glanced at Vanessa, only to realize that Vanessa was shirtless. Her pink lace bra a bit askew on her body. Kai then realized he was also shirtless, and that his pants were unbuttoned.

Kai knew _exactly_ what happened.

He hunched himself up into a fetal position as Vanessa’s snores filled his mind. **Oh God, oh fuck**!

He was nearly on the brink of a panic attack when Vanessa started to stir. She slowly sat up and looked around the room with confusion. “…God…what happened last night-“ She turned her head to Kai’s direction, only to see the red-head staring back at her with horror, covering his mouth in shock.

“Oh…oh my god Kai I…I’m so-“ She began her fervent apology, but Kai stopped her midway. “N-no it’s…it’s OK I… _I’m_ sorry! Are you…?” He felt pathetic with the amount of stuttering coming out of his mouth.

Vanessa nodded her head. “Y-yeah, I’m fine. It’s just…I distinctly remember coming on to you…and you honestly seemed hesitant at first, so I want to make sure that I didn’t…force you to do this with me.” She attempted to explain calmly, although her voice was still a bit tense. “Do you…remember anything about last night?”

Kai began to massage his temples, avoiding Vanessa’s gaze. “I…all I remember is you kissing me and then it was all a blur…I…guess I remember it felt _good_.” _Oh god why did he say that_.

Vanessa stared down to the ground, fidgeting with her bra strap. “Yeah…uh…It felt good for me too.” She laughed awkwardly, trying to change the mood. Her attempt didn’t succeed.

A long silence filled the room as the two teens sat next to each other, staring in different directions and comprehending the situation they’ve put themselves in.

Vanessa finally spoke up. “…Do you…do you want to forget that this happened?” She asked hesitantly.

Kai thought hard for his answer. _Yes_ , _he did_. That night felt good _physically_ but it definitely didn’t make him feel good _emotionally_. He felt… _dirty_.

And the main reason was because Vanessa wasn’t _Adam_. He doesn’t think he’ll ever get over that Latino by himself, no matter how hard he tries.

And that’s why he mustered his best fake smile and said, “…No, not really. If you want to forget about this however, I totally understand.” _If he was going to fix his shattered heart_ , _he was going to have to attempt to force himself to move on_. “Last night was decent, and I think you’re a pretty cool person Vanessa, so if you want to maybe…explore this relationship, then I wouldn’t mind at all.”

Vanessa stared at him in shock, before her expression morphed into a cheerful one. “Actually…I feel the same way. Sure Kai, I don’t mind having a causal relationship with you…oh have the tables turned am I right?” Kai mustered a giggle in response. Vanessa then gently patted Kai’s shoulder. “We should uh…head over to the cottage. Reeve and Skeet are probably very confused.”

They wasted no time. They quickly put back on their clothes and walked out of the saloon doors, hand in hand. Kai didn’t know how he would explain the hickeys that covered both him and Vanessa’s necks without melting down in embarrassment. He also didn’t know how he was going to keep himself calm in general, Vanessa holding his hand like that made him feel… _uncomfortable_.

When they came upon the cottage door, Kai let Vanessa open the door and walk in first. They beheld Reeve and Skeet, staring blankly at them as they sat across from each other at the table. “Sorry guys. I was busy doing things…” Vanessa said sheepishly as she leaned against the side of the doorway. Kai took this as his cue to walk in the room as well, and leaned against the opposite side of the doorway, gazing at the oh so interesting floor.

Reeve and Skeet glanced at each other before staring directly at Kai. “Oh hi “things.”” They deadpanned in unison, causing both Vanessa and Kai to jump up in embarrassment.

“Yeah, uh, you guys were really loud. I couldn’t get any sleep last night.” Skeet explained casually, folding his arms and propping his legs up on the table. “Same.” Reeve focused his attention on his fingers as he spoke the “sentence,” seemingly disinterested in whatever was going on.

Vanessa and Kai glanced at each other. “Yeah well…me and Kai are in a casual relationship now!” She broke the news with excitement, clapping her hands together and smiling happily.

Instead of slightly surprised, but otherwise unbothered looks from Reeve and Skeet, the two teens gazed at Kai with shock, and a dash of worry. “…Dude.” Reeve began. “Didn’t you have a thing going on with _Adam_?”

Kai began to laugh awkwardly, clutching onto his arm tightly. “I…yeah, but it’s fine, you know? Adam was my friend, and I _do_ miss him, _a lot_ …” He trailed off, clutching his arm even tighter. “…But he was just that, a friend who I…messed around with a bit. It wasn’t a serious relationship or anything, so I’m perfectly fine with this new development!” He hoped his cheerful tone didn’t come off as too fake. Every inch and fiber of his being was screaming one word at him.

**_Liar_**.

If Reeve, Skeet, and even Vanessa at this point were still concerned, they didn’t bother to say anything. “We should pack up and get going, we have to find that tree.” Vanessa stated after a few moments of silence.

Skeet nodded in reply. He stood up and slowly walked towards the door to the bedroom, opening it and staring at Reeve, as if waiting for him to do something. Kai blinked in confusion. “Well, we can’t really go to the tree unless we have the Ishibo, so shouldn’t we prepare to fight that weird-“

Reeve used his physic powers to pull out a large duffel bag. **The Ishibo floated along behind it**.

The duffel bag was set gently on the floor, and the Ishibo was placed firmly in Reeve’s grasp. He stood up, gently petting it as if it were his precious. “…Guy…” Kai finished his sentence after a moment of shock, completely slack-jawed.

_They had the Ishibo with them the entire time_.

… **What the actual _fuck_**!?

Vanessa cautiously stepped towards Kai, placing a hand on his shoulder, which he unconsciously jerked away for _multiple_ reasons. “Listen Kai, I know you’re shocked, but there’s an explanation for this-“

“ _There better be a fucking explanation for this_.” Kai snarled out, glaring at Vanessa. He had _trusted_ them, and they lied not only to him, but to Mira and Adam as well.

_And now that Adam and Mira were gone_ , _he can’t help but wonder if they were behind that as well_.

“Listen, Kai. This is a crazy, insane world we’re in right now. We didn’t know if we could fully trust you guys!” She calmly reasoned with the red-head, placing both her other hand on his other shoulder. “Hiding the Ishibo was the logical choice. I’m sure that you, Adam, and Mira would have done the same thing.” As Vanessa continued her explanation, Kai felt his anger and distrust slowly dissipate. She _did_ have a point.

“But considering what we’ve gone through now…I _believe_ I can trust you Kai…but… _can_ we trust you?” She raised an eyebrow, her question laced with a bit of fear. Kai vigorously nodded. “Yeah, you can…” He stated resolutely.

Vanessa beamed, and kissed him on the lips, wrapping her arms around his neck.

_Hedoesn’tlikeit_ _hedoesn’tlikeithedoesn’tlikeithedoesn’tlikeithedoesn’tlikeithedoesn’tlikeit_ -

“…Kai, are you OK?” Vanessa placed a hand on his cheek after separating from the kiss. Kai, who was a stiff as a rock, slowly nodded. “Y-yeah…” He strained out a happy-go-lucky tone as he began to fidget with his slightly shaky hands. “I was just a bit surprised! I’m still kind of…getting used to this!”

“Hey guys could we maybe go now?” Reeve called out in front of the doorway. Skeet was already ahead of the rest of them. Strolling away from the cottage and whistling. Kai and Vanessa glanced at each other before nodding in reply. “Yeah, lets get going!” Vanessa commanded excitedly, grabbing Kai’s wrist and leading him out the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, here's the new chapter. Hope you enjoy and feel free to comment below.


	30. The Riddle II, Cold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pleasure is a warm spark, and he's definitely not feeling that spark right now.

“…Hey, why do you cut?”

“…Huh?“

“I mean, I already told you why _I_ cut, y’know, to feel better. The pain and blood just remove all the bad thoughts in my head. But what about you?”

“…I guess, if anything, I’m the opposite of you. I cut to _not_ feel…when the blood pours out it’s like all those… _emotions_ …that are getting in the way with logic pour out with it, and my head feels clear again.”

“I think I understand! I kinda feel that clearheadedness too.”

“You almost cut a vein there by the way.”

Kai faltered, and studied the most recent cut he made on his legs. “…Shit you’re right. I really need to be more careful.” Reeve, who had recently finished cutting, and had passed the blade to Kai, nodded lazily in agreement. “Yeah…I could like, make the cuts for you?”

Kai shook his head. “No, I have to do it myself or else it won’t work. I _used_ to be able to get off accidental injuries, but the first time I cut myself those types of wounds just stopped doing it for me.”

“Aaaaaah…I get it.” Reeve relaxed against the rock he was lying against. “I’m different. I just need to bleed no matter what, you know? Let all the bad stuff out…Are you a more blood type of guy or pain type of guy?” Kai made another slice on his leg, and thought for a moment. “…Honestly I don’t think I can decide. Both I guess?”

“Hey edge-lords! Are you two done yet? We need to get going!”

Reeve and Kai turned their heads toward Skeet, who was in the distance with Vanessa. The 4 of them had been traveling for hours, and Kai and Reeve would force the team to stop every 40 minutes so they could cut.

Kai lowered his pant-leg and handed the blade to Reeve, who stuffed it in his pocket. “Kill-joy.” Reeve muttered under their breath. Kai nodded in agreement.

It didn’t take long for Reeve and Kai to catch up with Skeet and Vanessa. “How’re you feeling babe?” Vanessa questioned Kai with a casual tone. He was thankful that Vanessa didn’t freak out about his self-harm habit. “Whatever floats your boat! Just try not to kill yourself ok?” Was what he remembered her saying when he told her about it. She couldn’t care less, it seemed.

“Pretty good, really needed that.” Was what he settled with. He turned his attention to Skeet, who was in front of them. “Hey Skeet, can you pass a cig?” Kai asked the smoker, who surfed through his pocket and pulled out a cigarette, handing it to him without so much as looking in his direction. Kai eagerly took it and let himself fall behind the group, lighting it and inhaling the smoke. Cigarettes had been helping him a lot as well. They made him feel good when he wasn’t ok, and when he didn’t feel anything at all, they helped then as well. He can’t even remember a time before he used these things at this point. These two destructive habits of his have been keeping him going throughout the day.

5 minutes of wandering passed. The cigarette he had in his mouth had long since been discarded onto the cracked desert ground. “…God, do we even know where we’re going?” Kai spoke the question to himself. Reeve heard the him and decided answer. “Nope.” He deadpanned. Everyone simultaneously sighed, and stopped in place in exhaustion.

Kai scratched at his shoulders. He could have sworn he was forgetting something…oh wait!

“Hey guys, I know how we can get to the tree!” He shouted excitedly. Everyone turned to him, their faces filled with relief. “Oh thank God!” Vanessa exhaled. “I was getting _tired_ of all this meaningless wandering. What do we have to do Kai?”

“We just have to call for that weird guy and then he’ll teleport us there. **Help please**!”

Kai felt his soul drop as he saw the faces of the three people around him morph into a horrified expression.

Uh oh… _he fucked up again_. He _really_ doesn’t learn from his previous mistakes huh? _God he’s such a worthless piece of shit_ -

“Why hello there! I see you’ve made some knew friends Kai.”

“…Hey…Weirdy” He reluctantly looked behind him, expecting to see the purple skinned man jumping around like a lunatic. Instead, Weirdo was rather subdued, staring at Kai with an unreadable expression.

The weirdo took his sunglasses off, revealing a rather normal human like face. Kai didn’t know why he was surprised. Either way it was really weird to see Weirdy without his glasses. Their eyes glanced at his arms, his shoulders, his lower legs, and finally at his face. “…So this is how you choose to cry out for help, huh?”

Kai felt his spine shiver at the comment. What the hell was Weirdo talking about, and why did he look so concerned. _Did he know about his habits_?

He turned his attention to the other three teens. “Same with you kids. You _all_ got a lot of issues that need handling _once all of this is over_.” Reeve, Skeet, and Vanessa stared off to the side, looking at anything other than the weird guy, who was in the process of acting like an actual adult…at least somewhat.

The Weirdo put his glasses back on, and instantly resumed his wacky persona. “Anywaaaaays! What did you four need me for? Hey! That rhymed!” Kai, after rubbing his shoulders and calming his nerves, sighed out an explanation. “I called you here to see if you could maybe…I don’t know, make a portal for us to the talking tree?” Kai remembered in that moment that he never even talked to the tree, he only knew what Adam and Mira told him about her…well… _this_ will be interesting.

“Oh yeah uh, _nope_. Can’t do that!”

The four teens all collectively glared at the weirdo. “ **What**?” They hissed out in unison.

“As I’ve already explained to Vanessa, Reeve, and Skeet, you all have to find the tree yourselves!” He explained casually as the teens rolled their eyes in annoyance. Great, how inconvenient for them!

“…Buuuuut…since you asked for help!” The weird guy lifted his hand, preparing to summon a portal. The four teens huddled close to each other in fear. “ _Where are you sending us now_!?” Vanessa shouted the question at Weirdy, who was eager to answer. “As the kids say, chillax!” He giggled out before snapping his fingers.

Before they knew it, the four teens landed on a cold, icy surface, the freezing wind blew against their faces, sending shivers down their spine as they clenched their teeth in pain.

“C-cold.” Muttered Kai, holding himself tightly in an attempt to conserve heat. Skeet placed a hand on Kai’s shoulder, an attempt at comfort that Kai appreciated.

Vanessa was quick to stand up. “N-no time to sit and worry about w-where we are, we need to f-find shelter, _fast_.” She spoke commandingly, trying to look unfazed, although the slight shaking in her body as well as her stuttering showed that she was just as cold as everyone else.

Everyone listened to their leader, and began to look around for any signs of shelter. Luckily, there seemed to be an outpost far in front of them. They all raced towards the entrance, and Skeet shut the door behind them once all were safe inside.

Vanessa rubbed her hands together and sighed. “O-ok team, find something in here that can warm us up. I-in the meantime, Kai, make a fire or something.” She commanded, still shaking from the cold. No one wasted any time and surfed through the drawers and chests that laid inside the windowless room. Kai also got busy himself with the fire making, producing a large flame in his hand and standing in the center, giving the room some warmth.

After a few minutes, Reeve spoke up. “I found some coats and gloves in this chest.” He explained. He passed the clothing down to each member of the group. It wasn’t long before everyone was warm and cozy.

“…What do we do now?” Skeet finally asked after a minute of silent relaxing. Vanessa, who was sitting on the now empty chest, stared at her lap for a moment in thought, before speaking her next command. “We need to find out where we are. Skeet, Reeve, you go outside and explore the area. If you find anything noteworthy, or if a snowstorm appears, come back; we’ll work things out from there.” Reeve raised an eyebrow, and glared at Vanessa. “You’re not going to come help us?” He questioned with annoyance.

Vanessa glared back. “Kai needs to keep this cabin warm in case we have to spend the day here, and I don’t want to leave him by himself.” She said, standing up and sauntering towards Kai, placing her hand on his shoulder and making Kai freeze in place, the flame in his hand whirling frantically in his hands.

Reeve glanced at Skeet, their expression only Skeet could read it seemed. They kneeled down and Reeve wrapped his arms around their neck. Skeet then stood up, giving them a piggyback ride. “Alright then, see ya Vanessa.” The two boys said in unison before skeet used his super-speed and zoomed out through the door.

“…So…looks like we’re alone now~” Vanessa lilted out, pecking Kai on the cheek. He could feel himself stiffen at the contact. _Oh no_.

Vanessa seductively waltzed towards a nearby desk, lifting herself up and sitting on it. Her leg waved side to side, back and forth. “I think we could both let out some steam for a bit…so…do you want to…?”

**Absolutely not**.

… _But_ … _if he doesn’t do this_ , _he’ll never get over Adam_ …

He let out a quiet sigh, and steadied his slightly shaky hands. “…Y-yeah! I just…c-could you take the lead? I-I don’t really have that much experience.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here's a new chapter folks. Enjoy, and be sure to comment your thoughts!


	31. The Riddle III, Castle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> See no evil, hear no evil, feel no evil.

Kai leaned his head against the wall, siting stiffly on the desk as his coat laid next to him. Vanessa was also next to him on the other side, struggling to put back on her shirt.

He didn’t really remember much of what happened to be honest, everything became sort of a blur.

“Ah~ That was nice, yeah?” Vanessa said with a relaxed tone, putting her coat back on and walking towards the nearby duffel bag they had brought with them.

Kai blinked, continuing to stare blankly at the ceiling. It _did_ feel…good? but he… **he just feels _bad_**.

Ah, he was shaking again. He needs to calm down.

“…Yeah, it felt great.” He mustered a happy tone and gave his best smile. Vanessa probably didn’t see it, as she was too busy grabbing a small bottle out of the duffel bag. Strangely enough, her hand seemed to be shaking ever so slightly. “You want some fireball?” She offered casually. He declined the offer. “T-thanks but I’m good.” He’s going to have to cut _very_ soon.

Vanessa shrugged, and popped open the bottle. She downed the cinnamon whiskey in a few gulps. “Yeah…so uh…you going to zip your pants or what? Reeve and Skeet could barge in at any moment.”

Kai jumped in embarrassment and instantly zipped his pants up. Vanessa sat on the floor next to the duffel bag and grabbed another fireball.

That was when Skeet, with Reeve on his back, barged in through the door. “So we found this ice castle-” Skeet began, but Reeve cut him off, covering their mouth with his hands. “Vanessa for fucks sake now’s not the time to get wasted. Could you have waited at least until night?” Vanessa responded to Reeve’s reprimand by giving him the middle finger, which Reeve decided to ignore. “Anyways, I know you two are probably basking in the afterglow or whatever but we should probably check out that ice castle. Something in there might be useful to us.”

And so they headed off to the north, where the supposed ice castle was. Reeve rode on Skeets back as he raced towards it while Kai was being carried by Vanessa, bridal style. Kai had to use every ounce of his strength in order to not show his discomfort in some way.

Sure enough, in the distance appeared the ice castle that Reeve and Skeet were talking about. They all stopped at a certain distance, and Vanessa landed on the floor with Kai in her arms, helping him to his feet. She then motioned for a group huddle, which was quickly formed. “Ok, what we’re going to do is very simple. We’re going to walk in as a group and stick together. If anyone spots anything of interest, grab it and show it to me. Finally, if _anything_ comes up to us, we _destroy_ them, got that?” Everyone nodded a yes to Vanessa’s question, and the 4 teens cautiously walked inside the ice castle.

The inside wasn’t very structured, it was more like an ice cave, not a single piece of furniture in sight. Large spikes protruded everywhere, from the _mostly_ nonexistent ceiling, on the floor, and from the sides.

More importantly, as they wandered around the large and spacious room, not a single interesting thing was found. Vanessa sighed in frustration at the 3rd trip around the perimeter. “…We’re getting nowhere with this. There’s clearly nothing here. Let’s get going-“

“A-actually, I need to…let loose a bit.” Kai reluctantly told Vanessa as he motioned to his legs, making slash motions. Vanessa sighed once more and shrugged in defeat. “Reeve?”

“No, I’m not feeling it yet.” Reeve answered Vanessa’s unspoken question. He surfed through his pant pockets and pulled out his switchblade, handing it to Kai. “Careful.” He warned emotionlessly. Kai only nodded, walking away from the trio and slipping behind a large spike.

After a dozen burning cuts were made on his leg, he felt the ground shake a bit. He stuffed the switchblade in one of the pockets of his coat and quickly lowered his pant-leg. He swiftly stood up, frantically looking around to see the cause of the consistent mini-earthquakes, which got stronger and stronger, as if getting closer and closer.

Kai saw himself being enveloped in a jagged shadow, and slowly looked behind him.

Only to behold a large, lean ice giant. its blue glowing eyes glaring at him as if he was an intruder.

Kai screamed bloody murder and ran back to his friends as fast as he could.

The trio he reunited with were less than pleased at the new foe slowly stepping towards them. “What _is_ that.” Skeet questioned with fear. Reeve shrugged in response, and pulled out the Ishibo from the duffel bag he carried. “Don’t know, but we’re going to destroy it!” His eyes began to glow, and soon many large icicles were being lifted from the ground, pointing at the direction of the monster.

“Get ready everyone!” Vanessa commanded before flying up in the air. Skeet prepared a battle stance, ready to sprint towards the monster at any moment. Kai himself managed to calm down and produce flames from his hands, ready to melt the monster into a puddle. They totally got this, what did this giant have that they didn’t?

Before Reeve could throw the icicles at the monster, it shot a large ice beam at them, trapping them in ice.

Skeet was so shocked by the Reeve-cicle that they didn’t notice the monster shooting a second beam at them. Soon Skeet was frozen in place as well.

“ ** _Fuck_**! **We have to get out of here Kai**!” Vanessa shouted in fear, frantically flying to Kai. The moment she landed on the ground, another ice beam was shot, and Vanessa was soon encased in ice along with the others.

Kai stared in horror, first at his friends, and then at the monster, who was preparing another ice beam for him.

Kai ran.

He ran, and ran, and ran, and ran, and _ran_.

He found a hole in the wall and dove in, crawling to the very depths until there was nowhere to go but back. As he laid in that corner, curled up in a fetal position, one single thought rang in his mind.

**It’s over** , **there’s no point anymore**.

His hands shakily opened one of his pockets, and pulled out the switchblade. Slowly, he brought the sharp end to his neck.

… _Do it_ …

… _Why can’t he do it_?

He sighed, and slowly put the switchblade back into his coat pocket. _He’s such a coward_.

…He’ll have to rely on that giant to kill him, won’t he? Why did he even run away from that thing? It only wasted time; time that could have been spent _dead_.

He shakily crawled out of the hole, standing up and beholding the ice giant who had been waiting for him, almost expectantly. Every inch of Kai’s body, perhaps it was that primal self-preservation, wanted to run away and save himself.

But Kai breathed in, and breathed out. He shut his eyes tight, covered his ears, and waited.

If he couldn’t see it, and he couldn’t hear it, it wasn’t there.

A sudden intense cold surrounded him, _and then there was nothing_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapters going to be really special ;). Stay tuned, and be sure to comment your thoughts below!


	32. The Riddle IV, Reunited

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If you had told him this would eventually happen when he first woke up, he wouldn't have believed a single word from your mouth ever again.

Kai heard faint voices.

The voices were familiar, he just couldn’t remember exactly who the voices belonged to. Their names were one the tip of his tongue…

Maybe if he…opened his eyes?

And he did so; it didn’t help that much. His vision was warped, almost like he was looking through a grainy glass bottle. He could make out something though, two figures. One had long black hair, and the other short black hair.

“… _Kai_!... _Please_ … _god_ … _Please_!” Was all he could make out from the short haired person. The voices were incredibly muffled. Who were these people? Were they angels? _Demons_? Is this heaven? Is this _hell_?

… _Wait_ …

**It was Adam and Mira**!

The coldness surrounding him was replaced with a sudden heat, and the grainy vision slowly melted away, revealing his long-gone best friends. He raced towards them without a word, enveloping them both in a tight hug. _This must be heaven then_! _Where else would Adam and Mira go_?

The hug was quickly returned. The three teens held onto each other for a few seconds before separating. “I’m so glad to see you guys again!” He told them with excitement. “ _I would have offed myself sooner to join you guys but I knew you would have wanted me to at least try and help Vanessa_ , _Reeve_ , _and Skeet first_!” He was confused when the relieved and joyful faces on Adam and Mira’s faces morphed into that of concern and worry. He shrugged it off, something else was on his mind. “…Come to think of it, where _are_ those other three. They got frozen by the monster as well so they should be here too, right? Unless they went to hell, _that_ would have sucked…at least, I’m assuming we’re in heaven-“

“Kai…We didn’t die… _you’re not dead_.” Adam strained out.

He froze in place, and began to actually look at his surroundings. Sure enough, they were right. He was still in the ice castle, and the warped vision earlier must have been a result of him being trapped in ice. Not only that, but Mira and Adam were wearing coats similar to what he wore. They probably found them outpost as well.

Most of the happiness that Kai felt beforehand quickly disintegrated.

Mira finally spoke up after a short silence. “…What did you mean by “I would have offed myself sooner”… _A-are you saying you tried to kill yourself_?”

… _Oh shit_. _Why did he say that_?

Well, they already knew about his self-harming tendencies, so there’s no point in hiding his suicidal thoughts either. “…Yeah. I tried to uh… _do it myself_ , but I was too much of a coward. The ice giant was _supposed_ to do it for me…but since you guys are here, I’m…sort of glad it didn’t.” he hesitantly finished, looking to the side with worry.

“ _Sort of_?” Adam immediately asked. Kai reluctantly nodded in reply.

“…When did you first have these thoughts?”

“…I uh…It’s kind of funny actually-“

“ _Kai this isn’t funny_.”

“No really! It is! You know that room with the poisonous gas? I thought about jumping off that brick ledge and letting myself die from the fumes. I _think_ that was my first suicidal thought.”

Adam let out a shaky sigh, tightly shutting his eyes. “…Have you _ever_ tried to kill yourself _before_?”

Kai was silent for a moment, unsure if he wanted to continue this conversation. He let out a sigh when he realized that he dug himself in too deep. Adam and Mira would _not_ let him shut the topic off just like that. “…When Mira “died”, I _almost_ jumped off the cliff on that island, well, more like I thought about it. Instead I ended up…y’know.” He motioned toward his old self-scared arm. Mira let out a soft gasp, covering her mouth with her hands.

Adam looked completely heartbroken…and almost pissed. He enveloped Kai in a tight embrace. “ _Live_!” He nearly snarled out. “Not for _me_ , or _Mira_ , or _anyone_ , but for _yourself_.” Kai widened his eyes in confusion. _Live for himself_?

“…How? _I can’t even stand myself_ -“

“Then I’ll keep showering you with compliments until you love yourself.”

“…But why? You don’t _have_ to deal with me. I’m not an obligation-“

“ **Because** **I love you Kai**.”

…

…Wha…

 _What_?

This had to be a misunderstanding, Kai’s reading too much into it. “I-I get it. I guess I forgot that _friends_ look out for each other-“

“Kai, _no_ I… _Mira_ does love you as a friend, and she’s willing to do _anything_ if it’d ensure your safety. This isn’t the love I’m talking about though.” Adam raised his head, staring with determination directly at Kai’s face, plastered with disbelief. “ **I _love_ you Kai**. **_I want to be with you Kai_**.”

… _No way_.

 _This can’t be real_. _He had to be dreaming_.

Adam breathed in through his nose, and out through his mouth. “I…I didn’t tell you back in the shuttle because I thought you were shutting me down when you interrupted me.” He began. “When you suggested we start a casual relationship I…I instantly took it out of desperation. _I’m sorry for that_ , for lying to you all this time. I took advantage of you for my own selfish reasons.”

“But… _I don’t care what you think of me now at this point_. Even if you hate me, or just consider me a good friend, _I won’t stop loving you_. I’ll respect your wishes, but my feelings will remain the same, and I hope you understand that.” Adam finished his confession, leaving Kai completely stunned and shocked.

Tears slowly fell from his eyes, overflowing as his entire body shook. Adam stared at Kai with increasing concern. “…Kai? Are you ok-”

“I did the same thing…”

“…What?”

“When you said you were sorry back at the shuttle, I thought you weren’t serious about the kiss, so I interrupted you. I didn’t want to hear those words come out of your mouth.” He sniffled a bit. _God was he pathetic_. “I-I suggested we become friends with benefits out of desperation as well…I… _I love you too Adam_. I had a _big_ crush on you for the first three hours we met and I guess it sort of just…developed from there…”

An awkward silence filled the spacious icy room. Eventually, Adam spoke up. “…So…are we…?”

“…Dating? Yeah, I guess.” Kai strained out, clutching tightly onto the coat Adam wore.

“…G-god…I can’t believe this is happening.” Adam said shakily, their voice filled with happiness. “You _love_ me. I just… _wow_.” It seemed they couldn’t help but laugh at the situation. Hugging Kai closer to his body.

Kai was elated that Adam loved him back. He almost couldn’t comprehend it. Was he sure this was real? Was he sure this wasn’t a dream?

Either way, Kai was going to enjoy every second of it. He couldn’t help but laugh as well. “Y-yeah. It’s kind of hilarious. _We’ve already made out with each other but didn’t even know our own feelings for each other until now_!”

“…Do you wanna…make out right now?” Adam asked reluctantly, unsure if the mood was right.

… _Did he_?

Of course he did! He’d never pass up the opportunity to kiss Adam… _so why was he even hesitant in the first place_?

He shrugged the feeling off and nodded. “…Yeah. I’m pretty sure that’s the part of the standard procedure for a confession, sooooo…” Kai purposely dragged out the last word, waiting for Adam to give him his kiss already.

And a kiss he was given. As usual it started of gentle, but got more and more intense as time went on. Soon enough Adam’s tongue was re-exploring his mouth again.

Kai was frozen the entire time.

He couldn’t stop thinking about how _Vanessa_ kissed him earlier.

 _And about the other things they did with each other_.

… **He feels _dirty_**.

By the time Adam separated their lips from Kai, he was as stiff as metal, his eyes wide with an expression Adam couldn’t read. “…Are you OK Kai?” He questioned softly, placing a hand on his cheek.

“…Yeah. It just…feels different now you know? Almost overwhelming.” He gave his best fake smile. He didn’t want Adam to feel bad after only a minute into their relationship.

Sniffling was heard nearby. Kai and Adam turned their heads toward the direction of the noise, only to see a sobbing Mira, who was trying to wipe her tears away. _Oh yeah_. _Mira was right there_.

“…S-sorry Mira. We forgot about you-“

“N-no! No. Keep going. I’m just… _really_ happy for you guys.” Mira strained out, giving them a _seemingly_ genuine smile through her “happy” tears. Kai wondered if Mira ever got over her crush for Adam. If she didn’t then…well, he’d feel _horrible_.

“…Wait…we should find the others first. We need to free them from the ice and get out of here _fast_.” Kai explained frantically. What were they _doing_? They had no time for this right now!

Mira wiped away her tears, and gazed at Kai with a sudden realization. “…Oh yeah…you said something about an _monster_ right?” He nodded a yes to Mira’s question. “Yeah. It shot these ice beams at everyone, encasing them in…well… _ice_. The only reason I’m far away from the others is because I ran away at first… _like a coward_.” Kai clutched his arm, staring at the floor in shame. If he’s alive, then Skeet, Reeve, and Vanessa must still be alive too. _He nearly doomed them to an eternity in ice simply because he was a suicidal idiot who jumped to conclusions_ -

He was interrupted by a peck on the cheek that startled him, coming from Adam of course. “You aren’t a coward! Remember when you saved Benjamini?” They chided him in their usual parental manner, making Kai smile, just a bit. “…Yeah…but-“

Another peck in the cheek, closer to his mouth. “No buts! Say it with me! You’re amazing!” Adam’s encouragement reached to Kai’s soul somehow. He breathed in, breathed out, and said a sentence he wasn’t sure he believed in. “…I’m amazing?”

Adam looked like he was going to say more, but the ground suddenly began to shake. Kai’s expression went from unsure to fearful. _It was here_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To celebrate the reveal of the season 2 release date, which is on May 8th (check the twitter out if you didn't know) Here's that special chapter I hinted at last chapter! WE BE POPPIN' THE BIGGEST BOTTLES!
> 
> Also known as "the two dumb-ass bastards finally confessed to each other THANK GOD-" chapter.


	33. Ice I, Frozen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You're as cold as ice.

The lean ice monster appeared from the shadows, letting out a piecing screech that caused everyone to unconsciously cover their ears.

“ **Run**!” Was all Adam screamed out before grabbing Kai and Mira’s hands and sprinting away from the giant, dragging them with him.

As they continued to run away from the monster that continuously shot ice beams at them, Adam lost his grip on Kai and Mira. The three teens ran in different directions. The monster went after Mira first, who was luckily athletic enough to dodge the beams that threatened to turn her into a Mira-cicle.

After a minute of trying to freeze Mira and failing, they turned their attention to Kai, who was considerably slower than the others, likely due to the cuts surrounding his legs. The monster shot a beam at Kai, which he narrowly dodged by jumping out of the way. He landed with a thud on his side, holding his aching body tightly.

The ice monster prepared another ice beam, aimed directly at the defenseless Kai. _It’s over_ , he thought to himself. _He’s done for_ -

“ **No**!”

Kai could barely comprehend what happened in those short seconds. All he knew was that he wasn’t covered in ice, and was now lying on a different spot in the ice castle as Adam embraced him. He’s assuming Adam pushed him out of the way.

“A-Adam. Are you OK?” He questioned with worry. He could see a faint glowing under their sleeve. Adam must be going through one of his painful episodes. “…I-I’m fine. I should be asking you that!” He replied with a strained smile, slowly standing up and lifting Kai up with him.

The couple looked towards the giant’s direction. It appeared to have forgotten all about them, and was focused on Mira once more, who was waving her arms around and distracting it. Kai sometimes wondered if Mira was secretly an angel in disguise, she was _so_ kind.

Kai turned his attention to Adam, who was deep in thought. “…Adam, what do we do?” He asked hesitantly, unsure if he should bother his… _boyfriend_ right now. _Wow_ , it felt weird thinking of Adam as that, his _boyfriend_.

“…I don’t know…” Adam replied after a few moments. A short silence followed before they suddenly jumped up, a sudden realization plastered their face with excitement. “Kai!” He exclaimed. “You have fire powers!”

Kai also widened his eyes at the sudden realization. “…I have fire powers!” He shouted with a smile, producing flames from his hands. He created a large fireball and shot it at the monster’s chest, who was nearly cornering Mira.

The ball of flame shot right through the giant. It nearly collapsed onto the ground; a gaping hole now bored through its body.

…And then that hole quickly disappeared as more ice grew to fix it. The ice giant turned its head and glared at Kai, giving him an angry screech as he prepared an ice beam and shot it at him and Adam. Kai in return produced a fire beam, and the two beams collided, fighting for dominance.

… _What was he even doing_? _There’s no way he could compete with a monster like that_!

The ice beam was slowly overpowering his fire beam.

 _He’s not strong enough for this_! _He’s only going to get him and Adam frozen in ice_!

His fire beam started to darken in color, weakening and allowing the ice beam to get even closer.

“ _Worthless_! _Can’t do anything right_ -“

“You’re wrong!”

Kai visibly jumped, nearly losing his focus and allowing the ice beam to get dangerously close to his hands. “You’re the most amazing person I’ve ever met! You’re funny, courageous, and your smile brightens the world around you!” Adam began to shower Kai with compliments, causing him to blush in embarrassment.

… _Was he_ … _allowed to feel happy about those compliments_?

The flames he shot brightened up to their usual orange, slowly consuming the ice beam.

 _Is_ … _is he really all of those things_?

The fire beam was starting to push the ice beam back, causing the ice giant great fury. His fury was so strong it set the two beams at the middle once more.

… _Maybe_ … _maybe he is all those things_!

Suddenly the fire beam changed into a bright blue color, completely overpowering the ice monster and setting it ablaze. The monster was quickly consumed by the blue fire, leaving only a hole on the floor filled with melted liquid in its stead, steam slowly rising up.

… _He_ … _he did that_?

 _He did that_!

For the first time in a long while, Kai was filled with confidence and happiness. _Is this what it feels like_? _To be a normal person_?

Mira ran up to Kai and enveloped him in a hug. “ _You did it Kai_! _You did it_!” She shouted excitedly, giving them a proud smile. Kai couldn’t help but smile back. “…I… _I did_!”

Adam placed a hand on his shoulder, and gave him a small peck on his cheek. “I told you!” He smirked, saying the sentence almost as if he was gloating in victory. Kai rolled his eyes. “Yeah yeah, I know. _My boyfriend_ is always right~” The playful comment made Adam’s smirk grow even wider. They began to shower Kai with cheek kisses. Kai couldn’t help but giggle at the display of affection.

Mira watched the scene with a small smile. “…Should I leave you two alone for a minute or…?” A slightly flustered Adam quickly separated from Kai in response to Mira’s suggestion. “N-no! Sorry Mira. Let’s go find the others.” They coughed out awkwardly, before setting off in a direction. Mira and Kai were quick to follow.

The three teens eventually found Vanessa, Reeve, and Skeet close together, frozen in ice.

This would have been a celebratory event, if Adam didn’t freak out the _second_ they saw Reeve holding the Ishibo.

“When did you get the Ishibo back? Did the four of you fight Weirdo _by_ _yourselves_?” Adam questioned frantically, his face bordering on concern and anger. Kai looked to the side, preparing for Adam’s temper to rise even higher when he broke the news to them. “A-actually. They had it all along.” He hesitantly answered.

A piercing silence filled the spacious ice castle as Adam’s angry face became downright _furious_. “I _knew_ it! I knew we couldn’t trust them-“

“A-Adam _no_! They couldn’t trust _us_. That’s why they hid the Ishibo!”

“Did you _honestly_ believe such a stupid excuse as _that_ -“

“ _If we_ _had the Ishibo_ , _we would have done the same thing_! _I was angry at first too Adam_ , but it just makes logical sense! _They had to get to know us first_! Pretty much _everything_ else has tried to kill us humans so far, why _wouldn’t_ they be worried?!”

“No way, I still don’t trust them!” Adam snarled out. “Kai, melt out the Ishibo, but _just_ the Ishibo-“

“You can’t be serious.” Kai muttered in disbelief.

“Oh I’m dead serious!”

Mira attempted to intervene and stop the argument, but her pleas were ignored.

“So you’re just going to leave these people to _die_?! _This isn’t like you Adam_ -“

“ _I’m scared Kai_!” Adam shouted out, their eyes brimming with tears. “I just…I don’t want them to hurt my friends. I don’t want them to hurt _you_.”

Kai felt his heart slowly getting crushed by Adam’s worried look. “…Adam…I’ve traveled with them all this time, and they haven’t harmed a single hair on my head.” Kai gently explained, hesitantly placing a hand on their cheek. “I…I trust them Adam. They’ve been really good friends to me, and I’m sure if you just gave them the chance, they’d be good friends to you too.” Kai gave them a hopeful smile.

Adam, after a moment of staring into Kai’s eyes, sighed out in defeat. “…All right Kai…I…still don’t trust them, but I trust _you_.” They gave a strained smile, and held onto Kai’s hand that cupped their cheek. “You can free them Kai.”

He wasted no time. “They’re going to be so happy to see you guys! They were _devastated_ when you two got swallowed by the ground!” His excited ramblings filled the icy room as he shot fire at the ice surrounding his three other friends, slowly melting them out of their predicament.

Vanessa, Reeve, and Skeet fell to the floor. They were unconscious for a few moments, but began to struggle to stand up. “…What the _fuck_?” Reeve muttered out, holding onto his head and staring at Kai, Adam, and Mira with confusion.

“…Are you guys ok?” Kai asked the clearly exhausted trio. Skeet stretched his arms out and mustered a smile. “I’m cool! G-get it? Because I’m actually frozen.” Reeve and Vanessa rolled their eyes at Skeet’s attempt at humor, while Adam and Mira only raised an eyebrow. Kai himself giggled in response, and walked up towards his three other friends.

Vanessa enveloped Kai in a tight hug. “Thank you so much Kai!” She said, separating and giving him a soft smile. “I see you and your friends freed us. I’m glad they’re ok.” Kai nodded in agreement, beginning to scratch at his arms in worry. The uncomfortable hug made him realize what he had to do. “Yeah, I’m glad as well…hey, um, actually, come here for a second. I want to talk in private.” He casually walked behind Vanessa, urging her to follow him.

At a short distance away from the others, he decided to break the news. “Listen, I… _enjoyed_ …what we had going on for a bit, but only really on a superficial level. I don’t really need this relationship anymore… _considering I’m dating Adam now_.” He strained out, trying to avoid Vanessa’s gaze.

Surprisingly, Vanessa didn’t seem the least bit disappointed, she seemed almost happy. “Oh really? That’s great Kai! _About time_!” She placed a reassuring hand on Kai’s shoulder, causing Kai to bite his lip in discomfort. “Y-yeah. Thank you for understanding…let’s get back to the others.”

And so they strolled back to the group of 4. The conversation they had with each other seemed pretty amusing. “Dude, seriously? A video game?” Reeve deadpanned, staring at Adam like he had gone insane. Adam was quick to counter, glaring in return. “That fake blind old man was digital, I know it! I saw him glitch!” Skeet began wheezing, and Mira placed a hand over her face, sighing.

“What are you guys talking about?” Kai asked when he got close enough. Mira was quick to fill him in. “ _Adam thinks we’re in a video game_.” Vanessa instantly snorted at the revelation, and Kai himself couldn’t help but smirk, trying to hold in the giggles threatening to come out of his mouth. “A video game? Like an actual “Pew pew pew!” Video game?”

Turning his gaze to Adam, he saw the tired, confused, and honestly a bit defeated look on Adam’s face. “…Well…I guess it isn’t _too_ farfetched.” Kai added on, slowly walking towards his boyfriend and giving him a gentle pat on the back. Adam looked like he needed reassurance right now.

Vanessa rolled her eyes. “Of course _Adam’s boyfriend_ sides with him.” She teased out. Skeet and Reeve turned their head towards the couple, a surprised look on their face. “Well, isn’t _this_ a surprise.” Skeet gave a supportive smirk. Reeve on the other hand seemed a bit annoyed. “Are you telling me you _made out_ with each other before _helping us_?” Adam and Kai blushed in unison at the accusation. Adam scratched the back of his head, giving a sheepish smile. “…S-sorry guys.”

Mira finally spoke up. “…Um. I think we have plenty more time to catch up…while we travel back to the tree?” She hesitantly suggested. The five teens stared at her for a few moments, before collectively nodding. “Yeah, we should get going” Adam agreed. He turned on his heel and walked towards the direction of the entrance. Kai and Mira followed suit.

After about 10 seconds of walking, Kai looked behind him, only to see the Ishibo, hurling itself at Adam’s direction. Kai quickly turned his head, attempting to warn Adam with a shout, but it was too late. They were hit in the back with the Ishibo, and flew towards a nearby wall, crying out in pain before collapsing to the floor with a thud.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you thought after the confession it was going to get better, boy do you have a big storm coming. It's only gets worse before it gets better for Kai.
> 
> Don't forget to comment your thoughts, and stay tuned to the painful next chapters!


	34. Ice II, Betrayal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You're all willing to sacrifice our love.

Kai didn’t even bother to think _what_ just happened, or _how_ , or even _why_. All he knew was that Adam just got hurt, and he needed to be there for him.

He quickly sprinted towards his boyfriend’s body without uttering a sound. Collapsing in front of them, they dragged them towards his lap and shook him vigorously. “Adam! **Adam**!” He called out, his voice rising as the panic began to settle in. Their skin grew paler and paler by the second, and their body was…almost lifeless.

…Was… _Was Adam dead_?

… **Who did this**?

He gently placed Adam back on the floor, and slowly stood up, turning his head to look behind him as Mira, who had followed him, was on the brink of a meltdown as she held Adam’s head.

Sure enough, the Ishibo landed in Reeve’s hand, and their eyes stopped glowing. The three friends…no, _the three traitors_ , glared at him and Mira with malicious intent.

Kai slowly felt flames consuming his hands. “ _What did you do_?”

Reeve rolled his eyes, smirking haughtily. “What do you think _fuckwit? I just hit your boyfriend with the Ishibo_.”

Kai felt burning tears drip down from his eyes as he bit his lip in anger. “ **Why! I thought we were friends** -“ Vanessa interrupted his question. “We just want to win sweetheart, sorry.” She let out a small giggle before launching herself at him, grabbing him by the leg and dragging him up, up and up into the sky.

“…Wait…win what?” He finally asked after 5 seconds of silence. His anger was replaced by complete shock and disbelief at what happened, as well as confusion for the answer he was given. Vanessa let out an annoyed sigh. “Wow Kai! You sure are slow aren’t you? _Adam’s right_. _We’re in a video game_.”

Kai couldn’t help but widen his eyes at the revelation. “…But…just… _why_?” He figured he didn’t need to say anything else; Vanessa would understand what he was asking. She looked down, staring at his face and giving him an unamused expression. “ _I was using you jackass_. Do you honestly think I actually _like you_ as a _friend_? _There are mutts wandering across the street that are better companions than you_!”

“…W-wait a second…what about our-“

“Oh, as for _that_? I used that _mistake_ I made that night to my advantage to butter you up so you’d vouch for us _if_ and _when_ Adam and Mira came back. _No way in hell did I enjoy sleeping with you_! I don’t really enjoy sex in general though, so don’t feel too bad sweetie~”

Kai let out an audibly gasp, unconsciously clutching his body tightly.

…He…he was _used_.

As more tears escaped his eyes, one burning thought consumed his mind.

**_He feels disgusting_**.

“We just want to win the game hun~, and we needed to get you three out of the way in order to do so. Even if you manage to somehow heal Adam, _if he’s even still alive at this poin_ t, we’ll have already reached the tree!” He felt her grip on his leg loosen. “Anyways, I’m tired of explaining, _so let’s just drop this conversation_.”

Kai felt the wind against his back, and the figure of Vanessa slowly got farther and farther away.

As he fell closer and closer to the ground, Kai saw his life flashing before his eyes, and a big realization struck him.

 **This was all his fault**.

He should have just _listened_ to Adam…then they’d still be…

…He… _he killed Adam_ … ** _he’s a murderer_** …

… **He doesn’t deserve Adam’s love**.

He could easily shoot fire at the ground below in an attempt to save himself, but why should he do that? _He deserves death_.

 _He should have stabbed his neck in that ice hole_.

 _He should have sliced the veins on his wrist while he had that kitchen knife in his hand_.

 _He should have jumped off that cliff after Mira disappeared temporarily_.

 _He should have let the gas kill him in that bunker_.

He almost closed his eyes, accepting his fate. He’d likely suffer an agonizing death as his spine would crack in two, but it shouldn’t matter, _he deserves that as well_.

But it seemed that primal self-preservation would unfortunately save him once again. He felt his heart quickly speed up as he got closer to the ground. Without thinking, he turned to his side and shot fire beams onto the ground, an attempt at slowing his fall.

He did manage to slow his decent greatly, but only to where it wouldn’t _ensure_ his death. The moment his arm hit the ground, he felt an intense, piercing pain surround it as a cracking sound reverberated in his ears.

His aching body laid on the icy floor. He panted frantically as the pain in his arm grew stronger and stronger. Turning his head to look at the damage, he nearly had a heart attack when he saw the unnatural way his arm bended. _His arm was broken_.

He felt his vision whirl, and bile rise up to his throat. He managed to push it down, and used his good arm to slowly lift himself up. He could make out three figures in the far distance, walking away with a large stick in hand.

There was no point in going after them, his arm was bending in the wrong direction for crying out loud. He wouldn’t be able to use his fire powers, that required concentration, and it was impossible for him to properly concentrate with the intense pain he was feeling right now.

He heard someone calling out Adam’s name in the distance. It was Mira, who was likely still in the castle, trying to wake them up.

He needed to get to Adam and Mira, that was the only thing he could do right now… _even if he was dead weight for them_.

He slowly trudged along the snow, almost tripping on the stairs to the castle. A minute of walking around inside, and he saw Mira holding Adam, still in the same spot she was in beforehand. Mira heard his footsteps, and looked up with worry and fear, only for that worry and fear to morph into horror and concern when she saw Kai’s state.

“ _Kai_!” She shrieked out, quickly setting Adam down on the floor and sprinting towards the red-head. “ _Oh my god_! _Your arm_! _Shit_!” She rambled out, tears falling from her eyes. “ _Shitshitshitshitshit_!” She gripped Kai’s good arm and dragged him to where Adam was. Forcing him to sit down, she yanked the satchel off of Adam and surfed through its contents, pulling out the first aid kit. The constant stream of “shits” that she emitted from her mouth never stopped, but did die down in loudness.

Kai blinked away some of the tears that still threatened to escape his eyes. He watched the pathetic scene of a panicky Mira snapping the first aid kit open and digging through its contents with a heavy heart. “…Mira…I don’t think you can fix this-“

“ **I know**!” She snapped at Kai, causing him to flinch in fear. After a few moments of silence, Mira stared to the floor in shame. “…I…I’m sorry I just… _I can’t just leave you like that_! Your _fucking_ _arm_ is bending in the _opposite_ of its intended direction Kai, _that’s a big problem_!”

He said nothing in return to that comment. There was nothing that _could_ be said. A few moments of silence later, and Mira spoke up once more. “…Take your coat off and lift your sleeve kai…I need to see how bad it is.”

Kai hesitantly did as Mira ordered and carefully took his coat off, which took him awhile since he was doing it with one arm. As the coat was discarded temporarily to the floor, A clearly broken arm was revealed to Mira’s eyes, wearing a blood-soaked sleeve that was slowly getting more soaked with each passing second.

“H-how lightheaded are you right now?” Kai processed Mira’s question, his vision becoming more and more whirly. “…Yes.” Was what he responded with.

Mira muttered another “shit” under her breath and slowly breathed in and out. “…O-ok Kai, I’m going to lift the sleeve up, if it hurts, tell me ok?” Kai didn’t bother to nod; he was more focused on trying to push down the bile rising up his throat as the nausea kicked in.

Mira grabbed the hem of the sleeve, and gently pushed it up. Her hands were shaking like a leaf by the time the sleeve was complete pushed above his elbow. His broken bone could clearly be seen protruding from his arm, and blood spurted out from the wound the bone made.

Kai looked at the horrifying scene for approximately 3 seconds before turning to the other side and hurling out whatever he still had left in his stomach. Mira also seemed to be close to losing her lunch, but she covered her mouth and breathed deeply through her nose, trying to calm herself.

“…Ok, so it’s pretty bad. I…you might not like this Kai but I’m going to have to… _put the bone back in it’s place_.” Kai instantly knew what Mira meant, and let out a shaky exhale. “…Is there any anesthetic or whatever in the first aid kit?”

“No.”

“…A-alright then…do you have any towels?”

“…Yeah? Why?”

“I don’t want to destroy your eardrums.”

A few short moments later, and Kai was biting down on a handful of towels. Mira had yanked the bandages out of the first aid kid for when the blood inevitably came gushing out. She cautiously placed her hands on both sides of the broken arm. “…Y-you ready Kai?” Mira asked, an unsure expression on her face. Kai nodded. “Do it.” He muffled out.

In a split second, he felt the most horrible, intense pain he had ever felt in his life, almost as worse as when his hands were burnt from the Ishibo. Kai saw the edges of his vision darken, and the last thing he heard was the pain-laden shrill that escaped his throat before passing out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oof.
> 
> Don't forget to comment your thoughts! Stay tuned for the next disastrous chapter.


	35. Ice III, Broken

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally, his mind cracked. After that, surely there's no going back.

Kai woke up to the sound of waves crashing against the snow covered ground he laid on.

He attempted to lift himself up with both his hands, but he couldn’t even _move_ one of his arms, so he had to resort to one.

He felt the usual light-headedness that came with waking up, but ignored it when he saw what appeared to be a corpse next to him.

…It was Adam.

Nothing else mattered in that moment, his arm, where he was, where Mira was, absolutely nothing. The only thing Kai cared about in that moment was Adam.

He scooted closer to them, and placed his good hand on their cheek. He nearly shrunk it away when he felt how _ice-cold_ Adam was.

 _Warmth_ , _he needed warmth_.

He struggled to drag the seemingly lifeless body closer to his own. Wrapping his good arm around their waist, he focused on heating up his body with his fire powers. He was Adam’s heat lamp for about 5 minutes before he heard footsteps.

He didn’t bother to look up, he knew who it was. “…Is he?”

“He’s still alive…but only barely…I don’t even know how…” Mira quietly replied, sitting down in front of Adam and Kai’s heads. “I’ve been looking around the area, but it seems like there’s nothing but ice for miles…how’s your arm? I did the best I could considering…”

Kai finally decided to pay attention to his bandage wrapped, broken arm. He looked down to see it being propped up by a large towel that wrapped around his shoulder. He _thinks_ it’s called a splint? “…It’s a broken arm…it hurts…what more is there to say?” He mumbled out the reply in apathy, snuggling up in the coat he seemed to be wearing once more. Mira must have put it back on for him while he was passed out. “…Did you check the map?”

“…”

“…D…did you forget we have a map?”

“ _N-no_! That’s _ridiculous_! It would have made my five minutes of scouting _completely pointless_!” She faked a cheerful tone, frantically surfing through the satchel she was now in charge of for the map. Kai couldn’t help but giggle, just a bit. “It’s ok Mira. I mean, if I was in your shoes, I’m pretty sure I would have _lost_ the map by now.”

“No you wouldn’t. You don’t give yourself enough credit Kai.”

“I don’t _deserve_ any credit. _Especially since I killed Adam_.”

Mira ceased her map searching and stared at Kai in horror. “…Kai, _no_ -“

“Kai _yes_.”

“I can’t believe I even have to _say_ this. Kai, _you didn’t kill Adam_. This isn’t your fault-“

“If I had just _listened_ to him _none of this would have happened_ -“

“You couldn’t have _known_ this would happen Kai. Blame _me_ , blame _them_ , _blame the stupid situation we’ve been forced into_ , _but don’t blame yourself_.”

Kai said nothing in reply, he only turned his head to look at Adam’s surprisingly peaceful, pale face. He couldn’t stop replaying that horrifying scream in his head. _He_ did that, he’s the reason they’re dying right now.

… _Kai knew what he needed to do_.

If Adam ends up… _dying_ …then he’ll stick with Mira until they either somehow get the Ishibo back, or until they get to that tree and find out that the kids are already gone. If Adam _does_ end up surviving this…well… _then he’d be able to perform the final step much quicker_.

 **Regardless of what happens** … **he has to kill himself**.

He knew full well now how _dangerous_ he was for Adam and Mira’s safety. _He needed to stop existing as soon as possible in order to ensure their happiness_.

He’ll figure out the details as he goes. For now however, all he knew was that the reaper was _right_ , he _was_ going to see them soon.

A strange determination settled in his heart, and he couldn’t help but let out a twisted smile as he continued staring at Adam’s face. He **loved** them, and he was going to miss them… _but he was no good for them_.

“The map seems to be almost complete…there’s this empty spot here that we could go to…there might be something there that can help out Adam…”

Kai decided to stop his planning for now. Lifting himself up with his good arm, he stared at Mira, a worried expression plastered on her face. “…What’s the catch?” He asked cautiously.

Mira let out a deep sigh. “It’s all the way across the ocean.” She turned her gaze to the sea Kai woke up near to. Miles and miles of water was seen, but not a single stretch of land.

Mira was graced with a sudden realization, and she quickly turned gaze back to Kai. “Maybe we could call that weird guy-“

“Can’t” Kai deadpanned.

“…Why?”

“I used the last portal.”

Mira let out a discouraged sigh, muttering a “shit” under her breath. She resumed staring at the sea, holding her head and trying to come up with a plan.

Kai searched his mind for an idea, anything that could help with their suddenly hopeless situation. And then he remembered something about Mira. “…Well…I don’t think this should be a problem for you _Ariel_.” Mira turned her head towards Kai, staring at him with confusion. “…I mean, yeah. I can’t carry both you and Adam though.”

Kai grabbed Adam by his coat. Slowly lifting himself up, he glanced at Adam, and then stared back at Mira. “You can carry _one_ of us though.”

It took Mira 5 seconds to fully comprehend what Kai was suggesting. “ _No_. _Absolutely not_.” She stated bluntly, her eyes wide with shock.

“ _Oh yes absolutely_. Adam can’t stay in a cold place like this forever. You need to get him somewhere safe and warm.”

“But what about _you_?”

“I’ll be _fine_ -”

“Kai, I trust you to be able to take care of yourself, _but I don’t trust your mental state one bit_.” She hissed out, her angry voice laced with concern and genuine fear. “You’re currently witnessing your _boyfriend_ slowly dying. _I don’t want to come back to a lifeless Kai_ , _his wrists slashed open as blood pours out on the snow_ -“

Oh…so that’s what she was afraid of. “I won’t do that to you Mira.” ~~Not yet, but he’s sure she’ll get over it.~~ “I _can’t_ even do that; I have nothing sharp on me.” _Wasn’t the first time he lied_. “I _promise_ you I’ll still be alive when you come back to get me.” He walked towards Mira, dragging Adam along with him and giving her a reassuring smile.

Mira gazed at Kai’s face for a few moments. She glanced to the side, worry still marked on her face. “…you _promise_?” Kai eagerly nodded. “Yeah, _I promise_.”

A few minutes later, and Kai was lazily waving goodbye to Mira, who tightly held the unconscious Adam on her back, and swam away almost as fast as a dolphin. When she disappeared into the horizon, Kai let out a quiet sigh. What was he sighing about? He wasn’t sure. A lot of things probably, but he couldn’t pinpoint exactly what.

… _He needed to cut_.

But for once, he wouldn’t. He was already pretty eager to off himself, so he wasn’t 100% sure he could trust himself to even _look_ at the switchblade he still had in his pocket.

he felt bad for Reeve. They’ll have to find a different way to slice their thighs. As much as he hated those three teens now, he couldn’t help but feel sorry for _someone of his own kind_.

He opened a different pocket, pulling out a cigarette. He managed to snag a bunch and shove them in one of his coat pockets, by begging to Skeet like a pauper of course. “Just in case we get separated, y’know?” Was his excuse. Looking back at that moment, while they were still exploring the ice castle, he remembered the slight bit of worry that showed on Skeet’s usually laid-back expression.

After everything that happened, Kai wondered if that worry they showed was genuine or not.

He placed the cigarette in his mouth, and lit the other end. Inhaling the fumes, he breathed it out and let the nicotine fog his mind. If there’s one thing he doesn’t regret, it’s trying out these things. If he can’t cut, smoking is his second-best thought remover. At this point, it’s quite literally a life saver.

Kai looked up to the sky, letting his smoke-filled mind wander. One question he suddenly thought of interested him.

…Does God exist?

Something deep inside him answered the question for him. _He stopped believing in a **benevolent** god a long time ago_, perhaps even before he woke up in that bunker, when he still had his memories.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't forget to comment your thoughts. Hope you enjoyed and stay tuned!


	36. Ice IV, Whale

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He's just...so done.

It’s been about 2 hours now. Kai’s gone through 5 cigarettes.

He discarded the used-up cig on the ground, along with the others. A coughing fit later, he looked down at his feet, which were submerged in the ice-cold water. He knew it was probably a bad idea to relax his legs in the freezing sea, but he was getting bored, and he doesn’t have much to lose. His shoes were getting uncomfortable anyways.

He then focused his attention to his reflection. He looked horrible, possibly even worse than when he saw his reflection with that knife way back when Mira wasn’t known as a mermaid.

He gently touched his deathly pale skin, and combed through his tangled mess of hair. The deep bags under his eyes almost made him look like a zombie.

He was tired. So damn tired. He couldn’t rely on cigarettes to keep him from pulling out the switchblade forever. He was already close to running out. _Where was Mira_?

… _Did she abandon him_?

…

…Well, he supposes he has the right to be a bit disappointed, but he sure isn’t surprised. _Guess there’ll be a change in plans_.

He slowly raised his hand towards the pocket containing his switchblade-

Suddenly, the ground began to slowly shake. Kai instantly stood up, removing his feet from the water and grabbing his socks and shoes. Slowly, a large, blubbery animal rose from the ocean, making a strange, echoey noise.

 _It was a fucking whale_.

And on top of that fucking whale was none other than Mira herself, who stood proudly on its head. “Kai!” She called out excitedly. “Climb aboard!”

Kai let out a quiet sigh of relief, and did as his best friend commanded, carrying his shoes and socks with him. At the top of the whale, he noticed the still lifeless Adam laying right next to Mira. “Still alive?” He asked hesitantly. Mira only nodded a yes to his question before patting to the empty spot next to Adam. Kai eagerly took it.

With a raised eyebrow, he watched Mira sniff the air a bit. She then stared at Kai with a confused expression, plugging her nose with her hands. “…You…smell weird. Have you been practicing your fire powers or something? Because you smell like a chimney. A _weird_ chimney.” Kai wasn’t that surprised. She must be smelling the cigarette smell. “…Yeah, sorry.” He muttered quietly.

Mira shrugged it off. “Hold on tight, this girl can really swim!” She warned with a smirk before patting the top of the whale’s head. The whale, after a few moments, zoomed off into the direction of their destination. Adam nearly fell off the whale at such a sudden start. Luckily Kai held on tight to him. It wasn’t long before the whale was moving at a steady pace.

After 30 minutes of continuous riding, Kai could feel the itch to cut coming along. This was bad, because he didn’t know Mira’s opinion on smoking, although he could take a guess that she wouldn’t approve one bit based on her general personality.

… _Eh_ , he can just lie and say it’s his last one if things go south. He discreetly pulled out a cigarette, and crawled to the back, putting a bit of a distance between him, and Adam and Mira. Placing the cig in his mouth, he snapped his fingers in front of the end, lighting it. It only took a few inhales and a tad bit of coughing for Mira to look behind her to see what was going on.

“…Kai? _What are you doing_?” Mira’s tone sounded completely bewildered. Kai looked behind him to see Mira, her face morphing from weirded out to completely shocked and horrified when she saw the smoking stick in his mouth.

 _He knew it_. “Pot.” He deadpanned. He inhaled more smoke, let the cigarette out of his mouth, and then blew the remains away into the wind. Letting out a small giggle, he decided to correct the joke he made “Just kidding, I’m smoking-“

Mira jumped at Kai and smacked his hand, forcing him to drop the cigarette into the ocean.

“… _Hey_! I wasn’t finished with that-“

“ _Where did you get those_.”

Staring at Mira’s absolutely ticked off expression, he contemplated telling the origin story of his smoking addiction.

… _Why the hell not_? _He was going to kill himself anyways_.

“Skeet smokes. I asked for one shortly after you guys got swallowed by the earth. Haven’t looked back since-“

“ _Do you have any more_?”

“Nope, last one.”

“ _Do I trust you to tell the truth_?”

“… _Yes_?” Kai raised an eyebrow in confusion. What kind of question was _that_? Technically she shouldn’t because he was lying but-

Mira let out a deep sigh, rubbing her hands against her face. “Kai, you _know_ how dangerous smoking is.” He stared off to the side, not wanting to look at the completely exhausted Mira sitting in front of him. “Yeah, I do.”

“So don’t _ever_ do it again, ok Kai? Do you want lung cancer in your 40s?” She raised an eyebrow, challenging Kai with a slightly worried and pissed expression. Kai wouldn’t pass up any opportunity to die at this point, but he probably shouldn’t say anything like that out loud in order to _not_ be put on constant suicide watch. “…No…” He sighed out, faking an ashamed face.

Kai and Mira eventually found land. Looking at the map, they saw the final piece magically appear before their eyes…supposedly marked with spider icons? As Mira waved their whale friend goodbye from the shore, Kai couldn’t help but shiver a bit.

He set the map down on the sandy beach, and heated up his hand, hovering it over Adam’s body in an attempt to warm them up. Mira had placed her coat on top of Adam, so he was likely doubly warm now. It didn’t seem to be helping much however.

In the distance, a tall cliff caught his eye. He’ll keep note of it for later if Adam gets healed close by.

“… _Kaaaaaai_!” Mira called out, clearly freaked out. He turned his head towards her direction, finding her staring back with wide eyes. “ _The whale just glitched_.”

…What?

“What do you _mean_ the whale just glitched?” Kai asked, raising an eyebrow. _He was so fucking done with this shit_.

“What the hell _else_ would it mean Kai? _The whale just glitched_!” Mira retorted in annoyance, waving and motioning her arms towards the ocean. “…W-was Adam right? Are we in a video game-“

“ _Is_ Adam right.” Kai corrected her without thinking. _The very thought of Adam dying made Kai want to just straight up forget his plans and hurl himself into the ocean already_. “And yeah, he was right, Vanessa told me before she broke my arm.”

Mira glared at Kai in disbelief. “ _You mean you knew more about what was going on and you didn’t tell me_?” Kai rolled his eyes in apathy. “Does it really matter? We need the Ishibo, and those bitches have it, so let’s shove that thing they stole from us up their asses and get out of this goddamn nightmare-“

“Kai even _I_ can admit that’s a bit crude, _could you have worded that in literally any other way_?”

“ _Absolutely fucking not_. **_I’m done Mira_**. _The moment I woke up to a lifeless Adam and a broken arm the number of fucks I’ve been able to give have gone from 15,000 to 0_.”

Mira let out an exhausted sigh. “…To be honest, I’m starting to get tired of this too. _screw it_.” They collapsed onto the soft, sandy ground. “Let’s just sleep for a bit, we can worry about what we need to do later.” Kai sighed in relief at Mira’s suggestion and collapsed onto the ground as well.

Their peace lasted for approximately 15 seconds, before the ground suddenly shook vigorously, and a loud crashing sound was heard nearby. The two teens sat up and looked behind them.

…to see that shuttle they had explored previously, recently crashed onto the beach. A myriad of random items piled all around the crash site, likely coming from the now broken windows. Every few seconds, the shuttle glitched.

“…Kai…”

“…Yeah?”

“…I think the last of my fucks have been given.”

“…Yeah.”

A glitchy voice seemed extremely disappointed at their laziness. “ _You two have to get out of here_ , _now!_ ”

Startled, the two teens looked in front of them, to see the weirdo themselves glitching into existence, unusually worried considering their personality.

Kai glared at that _asshole_. “Yeah, we’ve been trying to do that for three days straight. Cut us some slack-”

“ _No seriously_! _The game is collapsing_!”

And suddenly, a single fuck was given. Kai and Mira glanced at each other with worry. “…Ok then? _What do we do_?”

The weird guy tried to explain, but his body started to glitch more and more, making it impossible for anyone to understand what he was trying to tell. Eventually, he straight up disappeared.

Kai and Mira let out an exaggerated sigh. “…Well. I guess the first thing we should do is grab anything useful that fell out of that shuttle.” Mira began to form out a plan. “Then we’ll…explore those ruins over there.”

Mira pointed to the forest nearby, specifically at a large stone archway, covered in strange carvings. The two teens gazed at the strange monument, an uneasy feeling filling their hearts the longer they stared.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After I post the chapter after this one, I'll be taking a break for about a week or two. Just thought I should give y'all a heads up.
> 
> Don't forget to comment your thoughts! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Stay tuned for the next!


	37. Cocoon I, Goodbye

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He's already missing them.

Kai picked up a surprisingly intact iPod from the ground near the crash site, it’s earbuds still plugged in. It looked to be an older model.

Pressing the arrow buttons, he surfed through the mp3 files, finding them to be mostly old songs from the 70s and 80s. He shrugged and shoved it in his pocket. A least they were _good_ songs, according to _him_ anyways.

“Hey Mira, you find anything yet-“ Kai looked behind him, only to find what appeared to be various strange mutant spider people, who had trapped a wide eyed Mira in a cocoon.

So _that’s_ why there were those spider icons on the map.

Kai attempted to shoot fire at the clearly hostile spidermen, but they shot webs around his hands, webs he couldn’t burn through. Shortly after, he too was imprisoned, along with the still lifeless Adam. They were dragged through the archway, revealing a supposed rock carved spider city. It was sort of fascinating, watching the hustle and bustle of the spider city life. _Would have been more fascinating if they weren’t spiders_.

Kai and Mira’s cocooned bodies were thrown into a carved-out prison. A she-spider with supposed authority ordered the guard to keep watch, warned the two teens that “ _he_ ” will be arriving soon, and then left the prison.

Kai hoped this “ _he_ ” was death.

Mira stared at the ground, deep in thought. Kai couldn’t take the silence anymore, and attempted small talk. “…What are you doing?” He inquired quietly. It took Mira 4 seconds to reply. “Trying to form an escape plan so we don’t get our blood sucked from these spider mutants.” She explained, frustration in her tone.

“How’s that going for you?”

“…Not good…but I’m sure we’ll survive this Kai.” Mira gave them a strained comforting look. Kai felt bad for Mira. Adam was more suited for situations like these, but _he_ forced them into an ice coma, so all this bullshit is _his fault_. _He can only imagine the look of relief on Mira’s face once he’s gone_. He’s sure she’ll be sad at first, who _wouldn’t_ be sad by a death? A few seconds of logical thinking however and she’d likely be _elated_ to not have to deal with a _disgusting mess_ like _him_ anymore.

Their short conversation was interrupted when a large mutant spider entered the prison. Red, and filled with a royal aura, he looked down on them with mistrust. “Who are you… _things_?” He hissed out. “ _What do you want_?”

_The sweet release of death_. “We need to heal our friend…that you seem to have put in a different room from us.” Was what Kai said instead. Mira nodded in agreement. “ _Please_ let us go. We just want to save Adam and then _go home_ -“

“No! Do you honestly think I trust you flesh monsters!?” The spider emperor shouted in anger. “No… _never again_ … The first wave of human invaders arrived on our shores _yesterday_. They to, said I could trust them.” He turned his gaze towards his legs, specifically two that seemed to have been ripped in half. “I’ll forever pay for that mistake…”

Kai raised an eyebrow, and glanced at Mira. “You passed out for…a while.” Mira whispered her explanation to Kai.

He let out a quiet sigh, and thought hard on what to do. A sudden realization came upon him. “…Mister Spider dude? I can fix your legs?” He suggested hesitantly. The spider emperor glared at him for a few moments, before slowly relaxing their body. “…How?” They questioned with caution.

“That should do it.” Kai muttered, stepping back and admiring his work.

The spider emperor’s missing legs were now replaced with makeshift prosthetic limbs, built with difficulty purely from sticks and his fire powers. He says with difficulty because building things with one limb is…y’know, _difficult_.

The spider emperor tested out his knew stick limbs, which seemed to work perfectly. They gave a soft smile towards Kai. “…Thank you for this. It seems I was wrong about you humans.” Kai only shrugged, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it. “Yeah, I think I know those assholes you were talking about. _They were the ones that broke my arm_.” He explained casually, puffing out smoke.

The spider emperor gazed at the red-head with…concern. “…Isn’t that the demon’s ashes?” He asked hesitantly. “That stuff can’t be-“

“It’s fine! It’s fine!” Kai coughed out. “Just…don’t tell my friend Mira ok? It’s…none of her business. I’m going to be gone soon anyways.”

“…Gone? Are you going on a lone journey?”

“…Yeah… _something like that_ …So you said you can heal Adam with your venom, right?”

The spider emperor nodded. “Yes, I can.” Kai inhaled more of the smoke, and breathed it out. This will technically be his last cigarette…it felt kind of weird to realize that. “…When you do heal him. I’m going to get going. You can go ahead and tell them whatever you want about me once that happens. It won’t matter at that point because I’ll be long gone by then.”

“…You aren’t going to say goodbye to them?” Kai could feel his determination falter, just a bit, due to that question. “…No…if I did I…I don’t think I’d be able to pull through with it.”

A somber silence filled the room for what felt like minutes. Kai inhaled the last of the smoke and crumbled the cigarette up, setting it on a nearby rock. “I just…It’s better for them if I go. I’m…I’m a nuisance, I keep ruining things for them…L-let’s just get going.” He sighed out, walking back towards the spider city close by. The spider emperor followed him.

The red-head and the spider emperor traveled through the busy spider city, stopping in front of a carved out building nearby the prison him and Mira used to be webbed in. Adam hung from the ceiling, upside down.

To their surprise, Mira, who was supposed to have been still tied up in the prison, was frantically trying to look around the room Adam was cocooned in, trying to find a sharp object to cut him out with.

“…Mira… _how_?” Kai called out with disbelief. Mira whipped her head towards him and the spider emperor’s direction, clearly startled. “…I…uh…It’s not important. What is important is _that the spider emperor is right behind you Kai_ -“

Kai interrupted Mira’s worried and fearful warning. “Yeah, I know. I fixed his leg, so now he’s going to use his venom and heal Adam.” He smiled lazily, pointing his thumb at the mutant he was talking about. Mira raised an eyebrow. “…His _venom_?”

The spider emperor crawled up to the ceiling, and cut off the thread that held Adam up. Their cocooned body fell to the ground with a thud, and the spider emperor jumped down close to them. He opened his mouth, revealing large, sharp teeth, and bit Adam’s body.

Mira was _livid_. “ **Kai**! **We can’t just _trust_ them**! **They _imprisoned_ us**-“

But suddenly the cocoon surrounding Adam began to glow brightly. The spider emperor cut the threads with his claws, freeing Adam from the webby bindings and backing away slowly.

Adam’s pale skin slowly turned back into its normal brown color. They opened their eyes slowly, and got up groggily, moaning in discomfort.

“.. **Adam**!” Mira shouted out in relief. She ran up to her best friend and wrapped her arms around them in a tight embrace. The slightly confused Latino blinked for a moment, before smiling softly and returning the hug.

Kai quickly turned his head away, tiptoeing away from the doorway. If he watched the scene any longer, he was sure he’d crawl back to Adam.

And Adam doesn’t need _that_. _What Adam_ _needs_ _is for Kai to get out of their life_ , _so he doesn’t keep ruining it_.

When he was sure he was far enough away from the building his friends were currently in, he began to sprint as fast as he could away from the spider-city. He didn’t stop until he reached the archway that was by the shore. Panting, he looked around, trying to find the spot he had noted in his mind earlier.

Sure enough, in the distance was that cliff that extended all the way to the deep part of the ocean. Just perfect. Using his fire powers, he boosted himself towards his destination with one of his arms, and he was there in less than 40 seconds.

He landed sloppily on the floor, many steps away from the edge of the cliff. He could feel his heart racing, the realization that he was so close to killing himself was giving him a huge adrenaline rush.

He shakily pulled out that old iPod he found earlier, put on the earbuds, and pressed the shuffle button. He figured it wouldn’t hurt to hear some tunes before he died.

When he heard that sexy bass line, he didn’t even have to look at the title displayed on the screen in order to tell what the song was. _Miss You_ by _The Rolling Stones_. As he shoved the iPod back into his pocket, he couldn’t help but hum along to the melody. It seemed to make him feel…nostalgic? Not like the stereotypical “this is an old song” nostalgia…but like he had listened to this song before, after a big event.

He slowly shuffled towards the very edge of the cliff, staring down to the watery depths below. Like the previous cliff he had contemplated jumping off of, the distance was enough to at the very least knock him out and drown him from there.

He could easily just jump right now but…He wanted to do something first. He bent down and pulled his shoes off of his feet, setting them neatly down behind him. He remembered a neat fact that was stored in his brain, supposedly people in some of the Asian countries took off their shoes before they killed themselves, sort of as a symbol of stepping into the next world. He figured it wouldn’t hurt to be poetic, _since he’s going to die_.

There, Kai was _ready_ , _there was absolutely nothing to stop him_!

…

But… _Adam and Mira_ …

…

… **No**.

He doesn’t deserve them. _Not anymore_.

He took a deep breath through his nose, and then exhaled through his mouth. Slowly, he leaned towards the edge.

As the music filled his ears, he thought he heard screaming in the far distance, but he ignored it as he fell, fell, and fell. His heart raced as the ocean surface grew closer and closer, and closer-

The sudden impact with the water displaced one of his earbuds. The last thing he heard was a sick beat playing in one ear, and the sound of someone screaming his name in horror in the other. Then darkness consumed him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KuRxXRuAz-I
> 
> :)


	38. Adam

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He should have observed more, done more, just been BETTER...then maybe this wouldn't have happened...

“But it makes perfect sense! I mean…our powers! The puzzles! That glitch I just saw coming from that blind man-“

“Adam…look at my face and answer me honestly. How exhausted are you right now?”

He stared off to the side, glaring in frustration at nothing in particular as Mira’s question was processed through his mind. “… _Yes_.” He sighed out, placing a hand on his head. And shutting his eyes tightly.

Mira pat him gently on the back. “…Listen, Adam. Maybe you’re just…really tired, and starting to see things. Maybe we just need to calm down, sit down, and relax-“

“ _I’m not crazy_!” He defended himself, glaring at Mira with frustration. “I _know_ what I saw! We don’t have _time_ to sit down and _relax_. **We need find Kai and the others** , **and get that Ishibo back**! **Then we can hopefully get out of this _nightmare_**!” He finished his explanation, panting furiously as he held his throat in pain, likely from how loud he was shouting.

“Adam, calm down…you’re clearly getting more and more stressed by the minute… _what are you worried about_?” Mira placed her other hand on Adam’s other shoulder, giving him a patient and comforting smile.

“ _Kai_.” Adam replied without a single thought. The red-head was the main reason he even _knew_ he was gay. His very first thought when he looked at that boy for the first time was, ‘Oh… _he’s cute_.’

That physical attractiveness quickly turned into a crush, and then into a _big_ crush. Now Adam was head over heels in love with them, _and he sure wasn’t looking back_. “I’m worried about him Mira. What if he’s _hurt_. What if he’s in _pain_ -“

“You love him, don’t you?”

Adam was taken aback for a few moments, surprised at the sudden accusation. Was it that obvious? _Did Kai himself already know and he just didn’t want to hurt their feelings_?

“…Yeah. I do.” He glanced to the side, confessing his feelings with uncharacteristic uncertainty. He always strove to be mature, to not show any weaknesses…but he couldn’t help himself.

He felt his heart clench a bit when Mira gave out a small sigh, their smile now strained. Did he say something wrong? Is Mira OK? “…Hey, Mira, are you alright-“

“I have a crush on you.”

An awkward silence filled the forest they were stranded in.

…oooooh…!

… _ooooh noooo_ …

He bit his lip in guilt, torn at the situation he’s been presented with. “…Mira…I’m sorry, _really_ , but-“

“ _You’re gay_. _You’ve fallen deep for Kai_. I _know_ I just… _wanted to give myself closure_.” Mira yanked her hands away from his shoulders and clutched her arms, staring off to the side in shame. “You don’t have to say anything, I understand…just… _I hope you don’t hate me or anything_ -“

“No way!” Adam vigorously shook his head; how _dare_ she suggest that. “I’d _never_ hate you Mira! It’s ok, I _completely_ understand…”

Another awkward silence filled the forest. Mira was the first to break the ice. “…You and Kai should honestly start dating already for crying out loud-“

“Mira _no_!” Adam awkwardly giggled out. “Kai’s not even interested in me in _that_ way. That’s _impossible_.” I mean, why else would Kai shut him down back at the shuttle-

“ _Are you fucking kidding me right now_?”

“…Hey, first of all, watch your language!” He reprimanded. Gosh could someone just check their manners for _five seconds_. “Second of all, no, I’m not. Kai said he just wants a _casual_ relationship with me-“

“ _You moron_! _You absolute buffoon_!” Mira shouted in annoyance. “ _Kai’s gayer for you than you are for him_! He told me he liked you _back at the shuttle_! He only suggested the “casual relationship” because _he thought you weren’t interested_ and he was _desperate_.”

…

 _Wait_ …

 _What_?

He couldn’t even say anything, he was completely and utterly shocked. Mira sighed out in annoyance, and closed his gawking mouth with her hands. “I’ll tell you what you’re going to do Adam. When we find Kai again, you’re going to pick him up, you’re going to carry him bridal style and kiss him senseless, and then you’re going to confess your _obvious_ feelings for each other.” She gave him a commanding glare. “ _You got that_?”

The only thing Adam could do was nod a yes, still completely shocked at the revelation.

… _Kai loved him_?

The very thought filled his heart with warmth.

Adam was completely confused.

The last thing he heard was a buzzing, whooshing sound as he slammed against the ice wall, then he felt nothing.

But now he was in a place that was definitely not covered in ice, and Mira was embracing him as if he had been gone for a long time.

“Thank you so much Mr. Spider!” She quickly separated from him and stared behind him. He turned his gaze, only to see a…strange mutant spider person?

“…Mira what on earth-“ But he was interrupted by her finger being placed over his mouth. “It’s OK. I’ll explain everything.” She reassured them with a friendly smile.

And explain everything she did. By the time she was done Adam had a newfound determination to get home…and a burning desire to kick those other teen’s butts. **How _dare_ they hurt Kai**. **He’ll _throw_ them into the _sun_** -

…Speaking of which… “…Hey, where’s Kai?” He asked, raising an eyebrow with worry. Mira looked behind her, and then widened her eyes in confusion. “…He _was_ standing there…but…where did he go?”

“If you two are looking for Kai, he should be “ _long gone_ ” by now.” The two teens turned their heads, focusing their attention on the spider emperor that decided to speak up. “That’s what he said would happen anyways. He also said something about _being a nuisance_? And that it was _better for you two if he went away_? I’m not sure what happened between the three of you but…“

The rest of what the spider mutant said went straight through Adam’s ears. His eyes widened in horror at the _instant_ realization.

He’s been around Kai long enough to know that they’d blame _themselves_ for his near-death experience, and he knew what effect that self-blame had on them when _Mira_ almost died.

He _knew_.

 _He knew exactly what Kai was trying to do right now_.

 **No**.

 **NONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONNONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONO** -

He ran as fast as he could out of that hollowed out building. He ignored everything, the shouting, the spider mutants walking along the pathway, his very surroundings. The only thing he paid attention to was his gut, which told him to go _this_ way. _This_ is where Kai went.

He came upon a strange archway, looked frantically around the area for any sign, _anything_. **God _please_ just give him a sign**-

In the distance, he saw a lone figure standing at the edge of a cliff. He knew who it was, _who else could it be_?

He sprinted as fast as he could towards Kai, screaming and shouting, but they seemed to ignore him. When he got close enough to make out that it was _indeed_ Kai, they slowly began to lean towards the edge of the cliff.

 **NO**!

 **GOD _PLEASE_ NO**! **_NO_**!

 **DON’T _DO_ THIS TO HIM, _PLEASE_**!

He saw Kai’s body fall swiftly towards the ocean below, and he shrieked out their name as they hit the surface.

Everything else was a blur.

The next thing he knew he was completely drenched from head to toe, his legs halfway submerged in the ocean, and Kai’s body in his arms.

As he slowly shuffled towards the beach, he saw Mira, along with a few mutant spiders, sprinting towards him. “ **Oh my god**!” She screamed out when she saw the limp Kai in Adam’s arms.

She quickly yanked Kai’s body away and placed him on the sandy ground. “ **CPR**! **He needs CPR**!” She began to perform the action she shouted. Adam collapsed onto the ground and stared blankly at the scene of Mira compressing Kai’s chest over and over again.

After a few minutes, Kai coughed out the water that rested in his lungs. He slowly opened his unfocused eyes, but then closed them once more.

“… _Is he OK_? _Is he OK Mira_?” He asked frantically. Mira placed her head on their chest, and gave a sigh of relief. “He has a pulse…I think he just passed out from exhaustion. He should be fine.”

… _Thank god_!

 _Oh thank god_!

He slowly crawled towards the red-head and lifted up their unconscious form. Burying his head in their neck, he wailed and cried tears of relief and regret, ignoring the presence of a heartbroken Mira and a guilt-ridden spider emperor, along with their somber subjects.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah, week's up! Back to posting! I should mention that we're more than halfway through this fic in case you couldn't tell. Just want to give y'all a heads up!
> 
> I hope you enjoyed the new chapter! Be sure to comment your thoughts below, and stay tuned!


	39. Cocoon II, Apology

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's going to be a long, long road towards recovery.

Kai woke up near warmth.

Feeling the floor he laid on, he noted its stickiness, and struggled to sit up.

Only for a hand to shove him back down to the ground. He was confused to say the least. Where was he?

He couldn’t really tell. His vision was still rather blurry. He looked at the source of the hand, and made out a blurry human-shaped blob lying next to him, mostly in brown and black colors.

“…Am I in purgatory?” He mumbled out the question. He assumed the human-shaped blob was an angel or…whatever servants _that fucker_ up in heaven had for purgatory or something. He must be awaiting his punishment. People who commit suicide usually end up in _hell_ , so he’s assuming-

“No, you’re still alive, _you’re still here_.” The familiar voice whispered the answer to his question, and Kai’s vision finally got stable enough for him to clearly recognize the blob as Adam. He was resting in one of the spider city buildings, laying on a makeshift web bed.

…

… _Fuck_.

 _Fucking fuck_!

“… _Shit_!” he hissed out, quickly twisting his body to the side, avoiding Adam’s comforting gaze. “ _Goddamn it_! _Fuck_! _I can’t do anything right_! _Fuck_ -“

He felt a pair of hands grabbing his shoulders, and he was forced to lay on his back and stare at Adam. “ _Look at me_!” They hissed out, their expression conveying their worried and livid feelings. “What were you _thinking_. Do you _honestly_ think we’d just stand by and let you _kill yourself_ -“

“ _Of course not_! That’s why I kept my intentions a secret until the last minute! I _knew_ how you would react! _Clearly I shouldn’t have told that spider emperor anything_ -“

“ _Thank god you did_! If he had told us a _second_ later I’d been cradling your _corpse_ right now-“

“ **Good**!” He screamed at them, tears brimming from their eyes. “ _That’s what I wanted! To die_! _I deserve it after what I did to you_!”

Adam’s face went from pissed to horrified _and_ pissed. “Don’t you _dare_ blame yourself for that! _You couldn’t have known_ -“

“But _you_ did! _I should have listened to you_! If I had just _shut_ my _mouth_ -“

“ **I’m going to shut your mouth in a second if you don’t stop hurting yourself like this**!” Adam threatened with a booming voice, causing Kai to tense up in fear, shaking ever so slightly. Adam’s grip on his shoulders loosened, and he let out a shameful sigh. “…I…I’m sorry I just… _please_ don’t do _that ever again_. _P-please_. _I-I beg of you_.”

Kai felt his gut being twisted and his heart being stabbed as Adam’s tears splashed onto his face. They continued their begging, burying their head into his chest.

Kai was _pathetic_.

 _He couldn’t even kill himself properly_ , _and now he made things worse_ , _like he usually does_. “…I’m sorry-“

Their grip on his shoulders tightened “You have _nothing_ to be sorry for.”

“…But I… _I hurt you didn’t I_? _I hurt all of you_ -“

“You weren’t in a right state of mind. You did it to yourself because _you’re_ hurting inside. _We don’t have the right to blame you for what you did_ …”

“…What… _what do we do now_?” He couldn’t help but ask the question that had slowly burned into his mind. He hadn’t even _considered_ he would fail his suicide attempt. Now that the very thing he was unprepared for has happened… _what now_?

Adam lifted himself up, staring with determination at Kai. “What we can do. We’re going to find that Ishibo, get to the tree, and get out of this place.” He explained comfortingly. “And then, once we’re back home, hopefully with our memories, we’re going to _help you_. _We’re going to make you happy again_.”

“…If we get our memories back…would you even care?”

Adam widened his eyes with shock. “ _Kai_! Of _course_ I would-“

“But think about it! We know nothing about ourselves! _You could be cheating on your boyfriend right now and not even know it_!” He strained out, tears escaping from his eyes. “Would you… _would you still love me_? Even after you’ve gone back to your life-“

Adam answered by pressing their lips against his, giving him a chaste, gentle kiss. Nothing else needed to be said.

After separating, the two stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, Adam spoke up. “…It’s going to be ok. _You’re_ going to be ok.” He stated in a whisper. Kai nodded slowly in in exhaustion. “…Ok.”

“…I love you…”

“…I love you too…”

The two collapsed on the spiderweb bed and held onto each other, slowly falling back to sleep.

The couple woke up to Mira gently shaking their figures. “We need to go Adam. If Kai hasn’t awakened yet we can carry…” She trailed off when both Kai and Adam slowly sat up, staring at Mira groggily. “…him…ok then, yeah, let’s just get going.”

And that’s what they did. The spider emperor apologized _a_ _thousand_ times over for his “incompetence,” but Adam and Mira assured him that he couldn’t have known, and that it was alright. The three teens set off into the woods, their one goal being to find those other three teens… _somehow_.

They walked along the forest pathway for _hours_. Kai couldn’t really tell how long, or even if it was actual hours, but to him it sure did feel like it. The dark thoughts that were overwhelming his head warped his sense of time.

He _needed_ to cut.

_He had to cut_.

But there’s no way Adam and Mira would leave him by himself, so he had to settle with constantly scratching his shoulder with his good hand.

…An action that Adam eventually noticed, since he’d been hovering over them for the entirety of their journey through the trail. “…Don’t do that.” They chided, almost like a parent as they gently removed Kai’s hand from his shoulder. “You’re going to hurt yourself.”

“Yeah, that’s kind of the point.” Kai countered back. Adam widened his eyes, a realization apparent on his face.

His idle hand began to shake, and he attempted to scratch his shoulder again. Adam grabbed his wrist half-way. Forcing them to stop their journey

“Adam I _need_ to-“

“No you don’t.”

“Adam _please_ , _I’m feeling the itch_ , _I have to_ -“

“I’m not going to let you hurt yourself Kai.”

“ _P-please_.” He was on the brink of tears. _Please_ , dear god _please_. He hasn’t done it in _so long_. _The thoughts won’t go away_. _He just wants his head to be clear_.

Adam didn’t respond, instead he stared at the pockets of the coat he still wore _despite_ how warm it was. “…Mira.” Adam called out, turning his gaze to the animal whisperer that watched the scene with a somber expression. “Did you check his pockets?”

… _Fuck_.

Mira shook her head. “No, I didn’t.” she stated. That reply was enough for Adam to begin to forcefully search through his coat pockets. He could only watch in shame as the bloodied switchblade was eventually pulled out.

Adam let out a shaky sigh as he held onto the blade, and handed it do Mira, who was in complete shock. He released his grip on Kai’s arm, and glared at him with worry. “ _Where are they_?” Kai glanced to the side, and reluctantly lifted up one of his pant-legs to his knees, revealing a myriad of shallow and very deep scars.

Mira and Adam stared at the cuts with a horrified expression. “ _Nooo_ …” Mira moaned out, covering her mouth and shutting her eyes tightly. Adam slowly breathed through his nose, and then let out a shaky sigh. “The other team didn’t catch you?”

Kai sighed softly, hesitantly gazing at his two friends “…No…They knew…They didn’t mind.”

Mira’s eyes blinked open faster than lighting, and she lowered her hand to reveal a ticked off frown. “ **What**!” She shouted. Adam only gawked in confusion and horror. Kai shrugged. “Vanessa and Skeet couldn’t care _less_. They just told me not to kill myself in the process…as for Reeve…well…he was the one that _gave_ me the switchblade.”

Mira’s anger turned into disgust, and she covered her mouth again in shock. Meanwhile, Adam’s shock turned into anger. “Why would he even _do_ that-“

“Because he cuts himself as well.”

A piercing silence hung around the forest. Mira and Adam stared, both gawking in horror. “…We would take turns with the blade…the only reason _I_ have it is because that ice monster showed up directly _after_ I finished cutting myself…I never had the time to give it back to him” Kai let out a shaky laugh. “I actually feel _bad_ for him. He must be feeling horrible right now without-“

“ _Great_! so we left you with _two_ bad influences!” Mira shouted; stress clearly apparent in her tone. Adam glanced at Mira in confusion. “… _Two_? What do you mean _two_?” He inquired. Mira was quick to answer the leader’s question. “While we were on that whale Kai pulled out a _cigarette_ he apparently got from Skeet and _smoked it_.” She sighed out, placing a hand on her face.

Adam glared at Kai’s scared face; their expression completely livid. “You _smoked_?” He hissed out. Kai nodded purely out of fear. “… _Y-yeah_?” He squeaked out. Adam then turned his gaze back to Mira. “Does he have anymore?” Mira shook her head. “No, he said it was his last one.”

Adam glared in response. “That’s what he _said_.” They then stomped over to Kai, searching through his pockets once more and pulling out the last three cigarettes he had with him. Displaying them to Mira, the animal whisperer’s expression quickly heated up in anger. “ _Kai_!” She shouted reprimandingly at him.

That was when something snapped inside Kai. “ **What**?! **At least smoking will let me live to my 40s**! **Would you like me slice my body and accidentally cut a vein or would you like me to instead slowly kill my lungs and live long enough to get out of this fucking nightmare**?!” His screamed out, tears overflowing and dripping down to the forest floor. Adam and Mira’s reacted to his sudden anger with shock and concern.

“…If…if you won’t let me _cut_ …at least let me have _those_.” He dug his fingernails into his shoulder, biting his lip tightly, so tightly that a small trickle of blood slowly poured through.

Adam, after staring at Kai with an expression he couldn’t read, dropped the cigarettes onto the ground and stomped on them. Kai watched the action they performed in horror, witnessing the last thing that helped keep him sane get destroyed before his eyes. Adam then walked towards Kai, wrapping their arms around him and holding him in a tight embrace.

“It’s going to be ok.” They whispered comfortingly.

“ _N-no_ , it’s _n-not_ -“ he struggled out, unable to finished his sentence as his despair overtook him, sobbing onto Adam’s shoulder.

Mira watched as Adam slowly rubbed circles against Kai’s back, holding on to the completely broken-down Kai with a saddened expression on his face. She slowly walked towards them, and gently placed her hand against one of Kai’s shoulders, patting him comfortingly. The action caused Kai to sob even louder, his wails filling the forest air.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter! Don't forget to comment your thoughts below, and I hope you enjoyed this. Stay tuned!


	40. Cocoon III, Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The worst mistake he has made so far has come to bite him in the ass...just great.

Night had fallen by the time the three teens decided to take a break in searching for the other team. Kai had mostly calmed down by then, surprisingly with a much clearer head than he had before. They all settled in a small clearing with a large boulder in the middle.

Mira left him and Adam alone to lie down and lean against the boulder. She told them she was going to scout out the place by herself, before giving a subtle wink and wandering off with a small smirk. It took Kai a minute later to realize what Mira was implying.

…Ah! she left to give them some “ _lovey-dovey_ ” time. How sweet of her.

Kai wasn’t sure how he’d make the first move though. Adam seemed intent on studying that map, and he didn’t want to bother them if they were truly busy.

…But…it wouldn’t hurt to try? _Maybe_? _God he’s probably going to regret this_.

He cautiously placed his hand over Adam’s hand, which was lying lazily by them as they stared at the map. Their focus was instantly broken, and they turned their gaze towards Kai’s flustered face. “…Huh? You ok Kai?” They questioned softly.

Kai glanced at Adam for a moment before staring back at his lap in embarrassment, gripping Adam’s hand even tighter and subtly scooting closer to him. “…Y’know… _we’re alone_.”

“If you’re worried about Mira, I’m sure she’s fine.” Adam attempted to reassure him. Kai internally sighed. Mira was right. Adam is _oblivious_ when it comes to this stuff…then again, it seems he’s no different a lot of the time, so he can’t really blame them.

“N-no Adam. I’m not worried about Mira at all…I’m trying to say that we’re…y-you know… _alone together_ … _all by ourselves_ … _no one to interrupt us_.” Kai mustered the courage to look directly at Adam’s face despite the fact that he knew his cheeks were glowing a bright red.

They stared at him in confusion for a good 5 seconds before a faint blush appeared on their cheeks, their eyes widening. You could almost here the click that resounded in their head at the realization. “… _Oh_!” The stated simply, glancing to the side for a minute. “… _Oh_ …” A smile, or he supposed a smirk, slowly spread on Adam’s face. He leaned against Kai, raising an eyebrow. “…So…what do you want me to do?”

Kai shivered at Adam’s confidence…and tried to push that uncomfortable feeling deep down inside him. He _knows_ he wants this…at least he _thinks_ he does…but…

Does he deserve this?

 _After being used by Vanessa_?

… _No_! Don’t think about _that_! Just focus on _Adam_!

“…I…I want you to kiss me…and touch me.”

3 minutes later, Kai was a shaking mess on the floor, his torso covered in hickeys, with more counting as Adam slowly suck at his skin, reaching down to his waistband.

Kai hoped his moans didn’t sound _too_ fake.

He wasn’t shaking out of pleasure; no, any pleasure he was feeling right now was greatly outweighed by a different feeling entirely. He couldn’t describe it really. It was sort of like a mix between discomfort and shame.

He didn’t want to make Adam feel bad though. This wasn’t his fault after all. Kai just used his good hand to cover his mouth with the lower hem of his shirt, shutting his eyes tightly and letting out a squeal every once in a while, so Adam wouldn’t get too suspicious.

When Kai heard his pants being unzipped, he immediately tensed and swiftly opened his eyes in shock. He saw the world blur around him.

But that blurriness only lasted for a little bit…because directly after that there was a piercing silence…nothing happened.

He glanced in front of him, only to see a shirtless Adam hovering over him with a concerned expression. Kai removed the hem of his shirt from his mouth, giving them a strained smile. “…W-what’s wrong? Are you ok-“

“ _You don’t want this_.”

… _Shit_. “N-no! I _do_ want this Adam. It’s _fine_ , I’m just-“

“I remember how much of a _moaning mess_ you were when I was _just_ sucking your neck that one time…you’re _clearly_ not enjoying this right now.”

Kai tensed up even more, looking back to the side with a guilt-ridden face. There was nothing he could do now. “…I…I _want_ to be able to enjoy this Adam, believe me but I…I just…after _Vanessa_ I-I _can’t_ -“

“ _After Vanessa_?” Adam question, confusion and worry apparent on their face. “What do mean by that?”

 _Fuck_ , _why did he mention her_! “I-It’s nothing, let’s just drop this-“

“Hey, look at me.” Adam placed his hand to the side of his face, guiding his gaze to connect with his. “You can tell me _anything_ , you know that, right?” After a few moments, Kai hesitantly nodded a yes.

“So tell me what happened, I just want to help you Kai.” Adam gave him a comforting gaze, smiling softly. He let out a shaky sigh, and began his story. “…So you know how Reeve’s thing is cutting and Skeet’s thing is smoking?”

Adam nodded after processing the question. “Yeah?”

“Well uh…Vanessa’s thing is drinking…and she offered me some wine she was having shortly after you guys got sucked into the earth.”

“…You took it?” Kai could tell that Adam was trying his best to contain the anger that had formed as an automatic reaction. “…Yeah…I don’t know what I was thinking ok? _I was a sad grieving mess at the time and I just wanted it all to stop for at least three minutes_ , _so I took it_ …I don’t really remember how much I drank…but…”

Adam raised his eyebrow even further in confusion when Kai trialed off, his body beginning to shake slightly. “…But?”

“…I… _I slept with Vanessa_ , _Adam_. _The last thing I remembered was her kissing me and the next thing I knew we were one the floor_ , _we both weren’t wearing shirt_ s, _and my pants weren’t zipped_.” He could feel his tears slowly escaping his eyes, trailing down onto the floor he laid on as he stared to the side in shame.

He had never really thought on how Adam would react to this information, not in detail. He always assumed it wouldn’t end well but…Adam always seemed to surprise him. They gave him a chaste kiss on his forehead, gently placing a hand on his cheek. “…Oh Kai…I’m… _I’m so sorry_.” They whispered out shakily. Kai breathed in through his nose, and out through his mouth, preparing to finish the rest of his story. “…That’s not all.”

Adam lifted himself up and stared at them in shock. “…That’s not all?”

“Vanessa was just as shocked as I was apparently…when she asked if I wanted to forget about the incident I…”

“You said yes right?”

“…No… _I lied_ …I told her I wouldn’t mind being in a casual relationship with her…she was cool with it…so we uh…had a thing going for a while.”

“…”

“I…I thought the only reason I was uncomfortable about it was because of you…and I honestly thought you had _died_ Adam…I… _I thought the only way I could move on was by forcing myself to be with her_. Looking back now I… _it wasn’t just you_ … _I just didn’t want to have sex with her_ , as beautiful as she is.”

“…Kai…”

“You wanna know what’s _really_ _fucking_ _funny_ about this though?” He strained out, on the brink of tears. “After they _betrayed_ us, just before she broke my arm, _she said she took advantage of that night to_ “ _butter me up_.” She _used_ me Adam. _She used my body Adam I_ -“

“Shhhhh…hey…it’s ok.”

“I-I feel _disgusting_ , I feel _violated_ , I feel _horrible_ I just… _g-god why didn’t I say yes_ -“

Kai buried his head into Adam’s shoulder and sobbed out his frustrations as they slowly rubbed their back in a gentle, comforting motion. After a few minutes, he calmed down, and Adam lifted him up, cupping his face and giving him another forehead kiss. “It’s all going to be ok. What Vanessa did to you was _horrible_ , and when we find those three _I’m going to roundhouse kick her to the moon if I have to_ -“

“Adam _no_! I mean _yeah_ , using me like that was _horrible_ , and I _feel_ _horrible_ because of it, but she didn’t know that I didn’t enjoy it. If she _did_ , she would have gone with a different plan and called the relationship off. _I don’t think she’d stoop that low_ -“

“ _You know nothing about her_.”

“…I know…but… _let me believe Adam_ …”

Adam let out a sigh, and reluctantly nodded. “…Yeah…I’m sorry.”

A long, somber silence filled the clearing they sat on. A silence Kai eventually couldn’t take. “…Y-you know…we can like…keep going if you-“

“ _Absolutely not_.”

“B-but I mean… _I feel bad_! You’re pent up now right? I raised your hopes up for _nothing_ -“

“Until you can say with _100%_ certainty that you want to do this kind of stuff with me, only hand-holding, hugs, and kisses are allowed.” The leader stated bluntly, putting back on his shirt. “It’s fine Kai, I can uh…take care of it myself. I wouldn’t want to force you to do anything you’re uncomfortable with.” Adam gave him a reassuring smile, and Kai stared off to the side, fidgeting with his fingers. “…O-ok…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah yes, a new chapter. I hope you enjoyed it, and stay tuned. Don't forget to comment your thoughts as well!


	41. Cocoon IV, Showdown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It...just wasn't healthy...

“…So…was it fun?”

Kai blinked in surprise, gazing at Mira with confusion, who was walking next to him. Adam was at a distance, looking out for any glitchy rocks or trees that randomly appeared.

The glitches were getting worse by the minute. The game was slowly, but surely, corrupting around them.

“…What do you mean?”

Mira glanced off to the side awkwardly. “I mean, I definitely don’t want any details. Just…want to know if you two enjoyed yourselves while I was gone?”

 _Oh_.

“…We didn’t do anything.” He stated simply. Mira widened her eyes in surprise. “…Really? I listened to a vixen complaining about her kids for nothing?” Kai turned his head, completely dumbfounded by Mira’s comment. “…Context?”

“It’s exactly what it sounds. I met this fox while I was exploring the forest and she ranted about her no-good kids for like…what seemed _hours_. I didn’t want to be rude so I listened…thank god her mate came along and gave her some urgent news she had to deal with.” Mira explained lazily. “But I mean…why? That was your chance to really have some “alone time” you know?”

Kai stared off to the side, contemplating whether he should tell Mira about it. His brain decided that she was definitely more than trustworthy enough. “Long story short: me and Vanessa kind of had a thing while you guys were gone, and it kind of…messed me up. I _tried_ but Adam could tell I was uncomfortable so we stopped.”

“… _Oh_ …oh _god_ you and _Vanessa_?”

“Yeah…I actually uh…didn’t want to do anything with her but I…I don’t know ok? I thought you guys we dead, and I thought I could only get over Adam by forcing myself to have something with her. I was being stupid-“

“Kai, look at me.” Mira placed a hand on his shoulder, causing him to turn his gaze back towards Mira’s saddened, comforting expression. “You were going through a tough time. Don’t blame yourself.” She explained calmly. “You should never have to force yourself to sleep with someone, that’s not a healthy relationship. I’m glad Adam noticed your discomfort before things got too far. _Otherwise_ , _Adam would have to give up on ever being a donor_.” She threatened, making a subtle yanking motion. Kai giggled a bit in response. “Please tell me you’re joking-”

“Shh! Guy’s! I hear something!” Adam whispered out, glaring at them with a serious expression. Kai and Mira instantly shut their mouths, and heard…talking in the distance.

The voices sounded familiar. Kai could tell who they were quite easily.

Slowly, the three teens tip toed toward the noise, hiding behind the bushes as they beheld Reeve and Skeet, gathered in some sort of clearing.

Skeet was leaning against a tree, his signature cigarette in his mouth, although he looked much less relaxed than he usually did. Reeve meanwhile looked like he was on the brink of insanity. He paced back and forth around the clearing, furiously scratching his arms and whispering to himself with a panicky expression.

“H-how many days?” They eventually strained out. Skeet finished his cigarette and dropped it on the ground, stomping it down. “Dude, you asked me this 5 minutes ago-“

“J-just how many days since we separated from those jackasses o-ok?”

When Skeet simply raised one finger, Reeve began to swear excessively. “ _Fucking fuck_! _That red-headed bastard had my switchblade. Shit_!”

“I know, you’ve told me this before.”

“Are you _sure_ you don’t have anything sharp-“

“No edge-lord, for the 15,000th time I don’t have anything sharp on me.” Skeet sighed out, rubbing a hand over his face as worry and annoyance showed on his face.

Kai watched the scene somberly. God, poor Reeve. He knew how horrible they must be feeling right now.

The leaves that were attached to the trees suddenly rustled from the wind…which was caused by Vanessa landing in the middle of the clearing. “Can’t find her _anywhere_ …” She hissed out, stomping towards the duffel bag and pulling out what Kai assumed was alcohol, although he couldn’t tell what it was exactly. She drank the small bottle in one go and smashed it on the ground, massaging her temples in an attempt to calm herself down.

“What are we going to do now?” Skeet asked hesitantly. Vanessa shrugged in response to his question. “All the trees look the same up there, especially at night. It’s better to just wait until morning when I can see better.”

Suddenly, the trees around them glitched. Skeet jumped up, turning his head left and right in caution. “…W-what about those glitches?” Vanessa pulled out another bottle to drink. “Don’t worry about it. It’s probably some bug” She stated bluntly.

Reeve in that moment snapped. “ **Useless**! **All of you! If I was doing this alone, I would have found her already**!”

A hint of…worry, spread across Vanessa’s face, and she ignored Reeve’s shouting, downing down the bottle she had in her hands. “Dude, _Chill_.” Skeet attempted to calm the physic, which only made them angrier. “ **I _can’t_**! **Don’t you get it**?! **_This_ is why I cut**!”

As Reeve and Skeet argued with each other, Adam slowly sneaked towards the Ishibo, which was lying on a nearby tree. Kai and Mira watched the scene, their hearts racing with each step that brought Adam closer to his goal. His arm reached out, just barely touching the Ishibo-

Suddenly, it was gone. A gush of wind blew past, knocking Adam to the side. Kai, Mira, and Adam beheld Skeet, who had likely noticed the attempted thievery and took the Ishibo before Adam could get his hands on it. Skeet handed the Ishibo to Reeve, who looked absolutely _livid_.

Kai and Mira ran towards Adam, helping him back up to his feet. The two teams glared daggers at each other for a moment, completely in silence.

Adam was the first to break it. “Hand it over.” He growled out; his anger very apparent to everyone in the clearing. Vanessa, who appeared to be sober enough to understand what was going on, smirked at his commanded. “Yeah, I don’t think so.” She said, picking at her fingers in boredom.

“Guys!” Kai called out, clinging onto Mira’s sleeve with uncertainty. “We shouldn’t be fighting right now! Have you _not_ seen the glitches?” Mira nodded vigorously in agreement with him. “The game’s corrupt. If we win this together we don’t have-“

“I’m not buying it.” Vanessa stated bluntly. Her smirk grew even wider as she glared at Kai specifically. “Unlike _you_ Kai, _I_ don’t believe everything I’m told.” She mocked with a lilting tone.

0.3 seconds later, Vanessa was tackled, possibly more than 50 feet away from the others, landing on the floor as Kai’s hands slowly burned her wrists. “ **I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU SO MUCH!** ” He screamed out in tears, the droplets splattering onto the dirt floor.

Kai didn’t know what he was doing. That one comment just made him snap. All the horrible feelings he had about what happened between them, he had pushed it down. Even when he discussed it with Adam, he still detached himself from it.

But now, everything hit like a freight train, and all his horrible feelings mixed and transformed into **rage**. Rage he directed at Vanessa.

“ **YOU HURT ME! YOU HURT ME SO BAD! EVEN BEFORE YOU BETRAYED ME!** ” He shrieked out as Vanessa freed one of her hands and clasped it around his neck, attempting to choke him into submission. He shut his eyes tightly in response, raising his hand and attempting to pull her hand off. “ **OH REALLY?! HOW SO?!** ” She replied with just as much anger and loudness. Rage was contagious it seemed.

“ **I DON’T CARE IF IT WAS MY DECISION IN THE END, I HATED HAVING SEX WITH YOU**!”

The choking stopped suddenly. Kai squeeze open an eye to behold a completely dumbfounded and shocked Vanessa, gawking and everything.

The rage he had felt previously cooled down, and slowly weighed more and more in his mind. His tears overflowing, he bit his lip tightly. “I…I hate _myself_ more than I did before because of you. I…I feel _disgusting_ , and _worthless_.” He attempted to smile, although it looked pathetic, and a bit deranged. “I didn’t even know it was possible to feel shittier than I did before. **But you did it**! **And all you had to do was touch me**!” He let out a giggle, which quickly morphed into sobs as he wrapped his arms around his body, flipping off of Vanessa and burying his head against the floor.

For what seemed like a minute the two teens laid on the floor in complete silence.

“I hated it too.”

Kai flipped to the other side, staring at Vanessa’s blank, somber expression in complete shock. “I told you before, I hate sex in general. I don’t know why, it’s just…a part of me. I suppose I “enjoyed” it when I was drunk, but I was _drunk_ …and that was technically my first time, as far as I can remember.” She explained, her tone rather subdued. “I…I desperately wanted to forget that _that_ happened, but when you said you didn’t mind, I saw an opportunity Kai. A window to the prize. Call me a bitch but the logical conclusion would have been to take it in order to win and go home, even if I hated it!” She surfed her hands through her bangs, letting out a hollow laugh. “ _you_ were the one to make me realize this part about myself, so of course I…wanted to take all my anger out on you. I know we’re in a game Kai but that’s _all_ I know…God if I…If I had known you hated it as much as I did, I would have been _elated_ to call it off.”

Another silence filled the forest they resided in, which Kai eventually broke reluctantly. “…Whose fault is it then?”

“…hm?”

“Who am I supposed to hate more? Should I hate you? Should I hate myself as if nothing changed-“

“That’s for you to decide Kai…As for me…I don’t hate you, and I don’t hate myself as much anymore…We just…”

“Weren’t good for each other…” Kai finished the sentence for her.

Vanessa lifted herself up, and let out a big sigh, massaging her temples. “…What am I…even doing anymore? Winning’s _fun_ I guess but…is it even worth it?” She shakily asked the rhetorical question. “Sometimes I wonder if there’s anything _worth_ going back home to…I want my memories Kai but sometimes I’m scared of what I might find…” She let out a sigh, smiling sadly. “Why am I even telling you all this, it must be the alcohol.”

Kai slowly stood up, clutching onto his shirt. “It’s…ok to vent…” He worded out awkwardly.

God, _another_ awkward silence, when would this end?

“I’m giving up.” Vanessa finally stated with resolution. “Skeet and Reeve are on their own. Winning? For me it’s not worth it…I don’t want to find out why I get an uneasy feeling whenever the word dad is mentioned, and I wish I had realized that sooner.” Kai widened his eyes in shock. “…Wait! You could join me, Adam, and Mira. You don’t have to give up just like that! I worry about the future too, and I always get an uneasy feeling whenever anyone talks about their mom, but-“

“Kai do you really want to be around me?”

“…”

“…Me neither…I think we should just…never talk to each other again. We had our closure.”

Kai let out a sigh, placing his hand over his head. “…Vanessa…I just want to say that what you did, that betrayal…I’m not sure I could ever forgive you for that. I understand _why_ you did it but…I just…”

“I don’t expect you to. I wouldn’t have forgiven myself if I betrayed me like that.”

“Yeah…but…I’m sorry. I technically used you as well for my own selfish reasons. I shouldn’t have used your body to try to move on from Adam.”

“…I don’t blame you really. I don’t understand this “love” thing you have with Adam but you must have been hurting when you thought he was dead…I’m…sorry as well.”

“…And I hope we can both move on from this…and be able to have average romantic lives one day.” He gave her a sheepish smile.

Vanessa let out small giggle. “Yeah, me too.” She jumped up, floating in the air before Kai. “ _See you never Kai_.” She said lazily as she waved, and flew off into the distance.

Kai waved goodbye with his good hand. “ _See you never as well Vanessa!_ ” As she disappeared into the horizon, the closure that formed from the conversation kicked in, and Kai felt…somewhat better than he did before in that moment.

“ **Oh my god**!”

Kai raised his head up, and without thinking, he used his fire powers to propel him towards Mira’s scream.

He landed back at the clearing, and beheld Mira, Skeet surprisingly, and Adam, who wielded the Ishibo; they were all gathered together, almost as if working as a team. They stared in shock and concern at Reeve, who threw the switchblade Adam previously had onto the ground. His arm was marked with a long, deep wound.

Oh yeah, Reeve _definitely_ cut a vein there.

And it looked like he didn’t even care, he seemed almost eerily elated. His eyes began to glow, and he lifted a huge chunk of the ground up, preparing to launch it at the three teens.

But the blood loss was clearly too much. The boulder fell back down to the ground, and Reeve passed out, his scarred arm slowly staining the ground with blood.

Kai slowly comprehended what he just witnessed with a gawking mouth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So after this chapter, there's four more for the final episode, and then one special chapter detailing some things about Kai, and then an epilogue/wrapping things up chapter. I'm close to finishing this guys!
> 
> I hope you enjoy this chapter, and stay tuned for the last episode! Don't forget to comment your thoughts!


	42. Colrath I, Cooldown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are...strangely enough, going well?

So according to Mira, this was what basically happened while Kai was talking with Vanessa.

Mira and Skeet fought each other, and Mira persuaded Skeet to cease the fighting so they can all escape together. So Mira and Skeet helped Adam defeat Reeve, who refused to give the magical stick up. It wasn’t that difficult for Adam to obtain the Ishibo after that; Reeve was outnumbered by 3 after all.

However, supposedly Reeve used his powers to sense the presence of his switch blade, which was in Adam’s pocket, and then pulled it out and brought it towards him. The rest…well…Kai already saw.

After Reeve passed out, Skeet raced towards him almost at the speed of light, and he wasn’t exaggerating. Mira finished her explanation as Skeet was halfway done wrapping Reeve’s wound with Adam, who had handed him the first aid kit from the satchel.

Kai didn’t know what to feel about what he just witnessed. Reeve was the one who almost killed Adam, and he’s not sure he’d ever be able to fully forgive them for that. But Reeve pretty much almost killed himself _. Of course_ he’d feel horrible about that. Plus, him and Reeve had a connection before it all happened, a mutual understanding. Kai couldn’t help but feel bad for them.

Not only that, but he couldn’t stop thinking about how that was _him_. _He_ did the same thing, just a different method, and _intentionally_ instead of on accident.

“…So what’s going to happen now?” He asked hesitantly. Mira shrugged. “I…don’t know. Reeve’s stubbornness kind of complicates things…” She sighed out, massaging her forehead. “Skeet said he’d join us but…”

A silence formed in the forest clearing they stood in. Skeet finished wrapping the bandages and handed the first aid kit back to Adam, who placed it back in the satchel. Skeet then walked towards Kai, worry and anxiety apparent on his face.

The two stared awkwardly at each other, before Skeet extended a hand towards Kai. “…Look…I’m sorry. I do think you’re a cool guy, and I wish we didn’t have to betray you-“

Kai took the hand without so much as hesitating. “You were just doing what you were told…it…what you did wasn’t _good_. I’m not sure if I forgive you _right now_ , but I’m sure with time I can forgive you Skeet.” He gave him a genuine smile, which Skeet received with joy. “…Thanks.” He said with a wink. “That’s all I needed to hear…Oh, uh. What happened with Vanessa?”

Kai looked towards the sky. “We…talked, for a bit. She said she was giving up and flew off. Don’t know where she is now.” He turned his gaze back towards Skeet and Mira. Mira stared at him in surprise, will Skeet only raised an eyebrow. “Huh…I’m…actually not the surprised.” Skeet muttered to himself.

Soft footsteps were heard, alerting everyone of the approaching Adam, who held Reeve in his arms. “…What are we going to do about him?” He stared with concern at the unconscious boy’s face, which looked eerily peaceful.

No one replied at first, each stared worriedly at a different direction in thought. Eventually, Skeet broke the silence. “I’ll stay behind and keep him busy for you guys. You three should go before he wakes up.”

“What!” Mira shouted in shock. “But Skeet-“

“I know, I know. I just…I don’t want to leave him by himself. Even if we don’t know each other that well…I…” Skeet gave the three teens a somber smirk. “I care about him…”

The three teens instantly understood. It was the same with them after all.

Skeet extended his arms, allowing Adam to pass Reeve to him. “Plus, I need to sort some things out for myself…this… made me think about a lot of things already, and I’ve decided I don’t want to go deeper down the hole, like Reeve has. I want to be better, and I want to help Reeve be better as well.” Setting Reeve down on the ground, he surfed through his pocket and pulled out an almost empty cigarette packet.

Kai nearly jumped at Skeet the millisecond he saw the Marlboro logo. Adam gripped his shoulder tightly, preventing him from doing so and giving him a comforting, yet stern look.

“Sorry I introduced you to this stuff Kai.” Skeet apologized, before throwing the packet down on the floor and stomping it over and over again, destroying the precious sticks inside. “…God, uh, I already feel a part of myself regretting this.” He laughed awkwardly; you could almost see his eyes tearing up a bit.

Adam clung tightly onto the Ishibo, which he now held in his hands. “…Well, we should probably get going then. Thank you, Skeet.” Adam expressed his gratitude by patting their shoulder. Skeet laughed in response. “No problem dudes. You guys get going. The switchblade’s yours.”

Adam, Kai, and Mira continued their exploring. This time with a different goal in mind. Find the tree.

This was, like the other team had mentioned, _severely_ difficult. Even when they stopped what they were doing and looked at the map, they couldn’t pinpoint where she was.

“This is pointless.” Kai sighed out in despondence as he and the other two teens crouched over the map. “You guys only met her because I was being a stupid piece of shit that one time at the lighthouse-“

“Hey!” Adam nearly shouted, almost as if he himself had been insulted. “You are not a piece of…don’t insult yourself like that!” The leader couldn’t bring himself to say the swear word. “You made a simple mistake, but that mistake led us to figuring out a way back home. Don’t beat yourself up about it.” Kai blinked in surprise, even though he knew he shouldn’t be surprised at Adam defending him. He started fidgeting his fingers, staring at his lap. “I mean, I _guess_ …I just…”

A pair of warm arms enveloped his body, and he blushed brightly at the contact. “A-Adam! What-“

“I’m hugging the bad thoughts out of you.” Adam stated simply, squeezing Kai tighter. Kai buried his face in his hands in embarrassment, letting out a quiet squeal.

“While you guys are busy being head over heels in love with each other let me just remind you Adam that we found her again after we fell down that hole.”

Adam shot his eyes open, staring at Mira as the realization shot through his veins. “…Oh yeah, we did! After uh…that.”

“Yeah, that.” Mira spoke out awkwardly, staring to the side with a subtle frown.

“…You confessed to him didn’t you Mira.”

Adam and Mira gazed at Kai with shock. “…How did-“

“…Just my first guess.” Kai stated simply. For once he wasn’t lying. He never forgot about Mira’s crush on Adam. He would be lying if he said he didn’t feel just a tad bit of jealousy now, but this was Mira, and he knew Mira wouldn’t try anything like that.

“Kai I assure you I wasn’t trying to steal Adam from you, I promise. I just wanted closure-“ Mira’s frantic rant was cut off by Kai’s reassurance. “It’s ok Mira…to be honest, _I_ feel kind of bad.” He let out a soft giggle, only to find that his attempt at lightening the mood wasn’t working as he expected.

Adam raised an eyebrow. “…Kai…I’m gay. Even if I didn’t somehow fall in love with you, and god I wouldn’t want to live in that world, I just wouldn’t be able to like Mira…n-no offense Mira, you’re _amazing_ but I just-“

“No no, it’s fine.” Mira reassured Adam. “And Adam’s right Kai, you aren’t responsible for this. Why would you think this would be your fault?”

Kai stared off to the side, searching for an answer to give them. “…I don’t know…I just…I always feel like everything’s my fault, you know? You could pour soup on my lap and I’d blame myself.”

A long silence followed his comment, hovering over and suffocating him more and more as it drew longer. Fuck, Kai said something wrong didn’t he-

Kai suddenly found himself on the floor, being mercilessly squeezed and kissed by his boyfriend. Kai couldn’t help but giggle, the kisses tickling his skin. “A-Adam stoooop!” He whined out between fits of laughter, tears brimming his eyes. But Adam refused to stop. “Not until you can name with confidence 10 things about yourself that you love.” He said between pecks.

“L-lower the bar a bit! We’ll be h-here all week at that rate!”

“Fine then, 5!”

Mira watched the adorable scene, trying her best to restrain a wide smile as she pushed the map back down the satchel. “I’d love to let you guys continue having your little moment but we need to get to that ghost town. We found the tree near the blind guys place, so we should find a way to open up that hole again.

Adam abruptly stopped what he was doing, avoiding Mira’s gaze as he prepared an apology “S-sorry Mira, We keep forgetting you’re there-“ But Mira waved it off “It’s fine, you two just started dating so it’s understandable. Besides, _it’s entertaining_.” Mira gave them a slight smirk, and a light blush showed itself on Kai and Adam's cheeks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last episode has started. This is technically the final! You guys excited?
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and don't forget to comment your thoughts. Even just a simply, "Good job!" or, "Keep going!" will help give me motivation to write out the final five chapters! ^v^


	43. Colrath II, Blame

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He fucking jinxed it like always-

They had passed through the carnival, and met Benjamin and Benjamini once again. This of course meant they were on the right track towards the ghost town. The carnival brothers tried to convince them to stay, but considering all the glitches they wanted to get out of this corrupted mess as soon as possible.

The glitches were even worse. Every few seconds _something_ was going wrong. Some of the trees were upside down, some objects were straight up missing pieces, hell he saw a few of the animals t-posing.

The sun also decided to nope out of the situation, so now it’s permanently night out. Another thing that _really_ helped. Note his sarcasm.

But all of that wasn’t the main thing on his mind. He was mostly thinking about…well…who he was, and what he’d find when they left the game world. One very specific idea he couldn’t keep to himself anymore. “…Do you…do you guys think we know each other outside of the game?” He inquired hesitantly.

Mira almost perked up at the idea. “Maybe! I honestly hope so.” Adam nodded in agreement. “Yeah, me too. You guys are great.” He laughed out. Kai couldn’t help but smile, just a bit, as he listened to Adam’s laugh. They were just so…he couldn’t even describe it-

The feeling of a cold, sharp object pressing itself against the front of his throat immediately shut down his thought process and forcefully kept him still. He widened his eyes in shock, his throat unable to utter a sound.

“Well well well, we meet again!”

Adam and Mira looked behind themselves, beholding Death himself, riding Mister Jeepers and keeping his scythe near Kai’s throat, effectively trapping him. “What are you doing here?” Mira asked, completely surprised.

“Hello? I’m death! I always show up when it’s time. And after all, it’s almost time for _him_.” Smiling haughtily, He brought the blade of his scythe closer to Kai’s throat, drawing just a bit of blood from the pressure. “I _did_ warn him about this-“

In under a second a _very_ livid Adam had smacked Death off his horse with the Ishibo. Their bony body crashed against a tree, and then glitched out of existence.

A short silence formed between the three teens and the horse, which was now thoroughly freaking out. Mira comforted Mister Jeepers with soft quiet shushes and a few pets. “…If anyone tries to hurt my friends, or Kai, they’ll have to go through me first.” Adam stated with resolution, his expression conveying the amount of anger he still had in his system, which was a lot.

Kai gazed at Adam, both in shock and in admiration. He then glanced at the scythe, which had fallen to the ground when Death got smacked off his horse. Cautiously picking it up, he studied the sharp blade intently for a few moments.

 _He would be lying if he said he didn’t want to slice his arms open in that moment_ …

… _But_ …

“Hey Mira? You want the scythe?” He handed the weapon over to his friend with a strained smile, his arm slightly shaking as he used the willpower he didn’t know he had to restrain himself. Mira stared at him with almost a proud look, and took it graciously. “…Thanks Kai. This will definitely help.” She held on tightly to the scythe with one hand, and held onto the reigns of the now tamed demon horse with her other hand.

A pair of arms wrapped around him from behind, and he felt a soft peck against the small cut against his neck, which the scythe made. “You ok?” Said the culprit, Adam, his tone laced with worry. Kai vigorously nodded a yes, his face a soft shade of red. “Y-yeah! I’m fine.”

Mira raised an eyebrow at the small action, smirking ever so subtly. “Should I wait for you two to be lovey-dovey with each other for the thousandth time or should we get going?”

Adam instantly removed his arms from Kai’s body, glancing to the side. “S-sorry Mira.” The couple apologized simultaneously.

With their new horse friend, getting to the ghost town was going to be a lot quicker. Mira sat on Mister Jeepers in the front, holding the reigns and directing them to their destination. Kai and Adam were at the back, holding onto each other and the saddle like their lives depended on it. The horse could really fly…metaphorically. The fact that he even had to specify that showed how goddamn weird their situation was.

It was good Mister Jeepers was so fast though. Maybe it was because the game was giving up on itself, but every monster they had encountered before started magically appearing and tried to kill them. It was like a reverse compilation. The ice monster almost turned them all into an icicle again before disappearing, that slime monster nearly bit Mister Jeepers leg off, the three witches would have grabbed them if it weren’t for Mira’s scythe and Adam’s Ishibo keeping them away, and then the demon dogs…

The demon dogs they were currently trying to escape from. They had wicked stamina, and the game must feel like screwing with him and his friends, because they haven’t disappeared yet. In fact, one was very, _very_ close to the horse’s legs.

…Oh wait…didn’t he have fire powers?

As he shot a fire beam at the demon dog’s eyes, blinding their vision and sending them away whimpering, he wondered to himself why he always forgot about that.

“Good job Kai! That was amazing!” Adam praised him, giving him a supportive smile. Kai only shrugged in response. He had mixed feelings about Adam’s compliment. On one hand, they were praising _him_ , so he didn’t feel like he deserved it…but on the other hand they were _praising_ him, and it made him feel warm inside.

Maybe…maybe he’ll _allow_ that warmness, just a bit. Being happy over praise doesn’t make him cocky… _he thinks_.

The two other demon dogs clearly didn’t want to suffer the fate of their brethren, because they quickly glitched themselves out of existence. Good timing, because they had reached the ghost town.

Mira jumped off the horse, giving him a couple good pats as Adam and Kai helped each other to the ground. “Good job Mister Jeepers, you can go now.” She cooed out. The horse gave a great neigh and nodded, prancing of into the distance before glitching out of existence.

“…Oh…” Mira said quietly, saddened at Mister Jeeper’s sudden end. Adam walked up to her and gave her a pat on the back. No words needed to be said.

The three teens came upon the cemetery, finally. Adam cautiously paced towards the general area of where the hole magically appeared. “So me and Mira were right there…Kai, where were you?” Kai glanced in every direction, eventually finding the specific set of graves he was next to during that event. “I was…right here.’ He said as he walked to his spot.

A long silence hovered between the three teens as Adam pondered, deep in thought. He looked at every direction, and eventually caught with his eye a small grave lying at the ground, a few feet in front of Kai.

“…Kai…could you step on that grave?” He slowly pointed at the spoken object with unsurety, staring at Kai with raised eyebrows. Kai gazed at his boyfriend in confusion, but did as he was told. He had no idea how it’d help though. What would stepping on a grave do-

The grave lowered itself to the ground when his foot pushed it down, almost like a pressure plate. In that instant, the familiar large hole formed behind Adam and Mira.

Mira was elated at the revelation. “So it was some sort of trap! That’s why we fell down!” finally having an explanation for why the hole formed gave Adam and Mira ease. “Yeah!” Adam quickly agreed. “Thank god we figured that out so quickly. Let’s get going Kai!”

“…Kai?”

Kai tightly clutched onto his broken, propped up arm. His eyes as wide as saucers, and slowly brimming with tears as he bit his lip.

“…Of… **Of COURSE**!” He shakily shouted with a strained smile. “ **Of COURSE it’s my fault, like always**!” collapsing on his knees to the ground, he let out what sounded like a mixture between laughter and sobs. “ **GOD I just CAN’T seem to STOP FUCKING THINGS UP huh? EVEN WITH MYSELF**!”

The main reason he got together with Vanessa was because he thought Adam was dead. Beforehand he just thought it was _bad luck_ , but knowing that, _like usual_ , it was because of something _he_ did…just…

 _He really is pathetic, isn’t he_?

Adam slowly stepped towards Kai, his face filled with sadness. “…Kai-“

“ **Is it even POSSIBLE to be this STUPID?! I…I let her USE me for ONE reason and that reason turns out to be of my OWN doing! HOW FUCKING FUNNY IS THAT**?!”

“Kai please-“

“ **I CAN’T HAVE SEX WITH _MY OWN BOYFRIEND_ , AND IT’S _MY_ FUCKING FAULT, LIKE ALWAYS**-“

“ **KAI**!”

He instantly snapped out of his ranting, staring at the intensely worried Adam, who clung onto his shoulders tightly. “…Kai…I can’t _fully_ understand how you’re feeling right now but…please…don’t do this to yourself. Blaming yourself like this won’t make the situation any better…” They spoke in a comforting tone, gently brushing their hands through Kai’s hair. Kai only collapsed onto Adam’s chest in response, utterly defeated. “…Why am I like this Adam? Why am I so _stupid_ , and _pathetic_ , and _worthless_? _I’m so tired of being like this_ -“

“You’re not any of those things.” Adam gently reassured him, wrapping their arms tightly around them and kissing his head. “You’re the exact opposite of those things.”

Mira hesitantly walked up to the two lovers, glancing between them and the sky, unsure if she should interrupt the moment. Adam smiled, and beckoned for her to join the hug. Mira smiled somberly in return, and soon enough, the two teens were embracing each other and the silently sobbing redhead.

A distant monstrous screeching noise rudely interrupted the moment, and the three teens looked behind them to see what appeared to be the fusion of Toros and a mutant spider, sprinting towards them with their many legs.

“…Adam…we should go.” Mira stated with worry. Adam vigorously nodded in agreement, picking the thoroughly dazed Kai up bridal style. “Y-Yeah, we should.”

Mira and Adam raced towards the hole and jumped down, grabbing conveniently stuck out brick pieces along the encircling walls to stall their fall and prevent any broken bones. Eventually Mira and Adam, holding Kai, landed on the floor, and the three teens looked up to see spider Toros, who glitched away before he could attempt to climb down and catch them. After that, the hole above them closed, leaving them trapped inside the haunting, maze like catacombs they placed themselves in.

Adam helped Kai to his feet, who winced a bit, clutching his broken arm. “Are you ok?” Adam asked with worry, gently placing a hand on the splint that held the arm up. Kai nodded, looking to the ground in exhaustion. “That position was a bit uncomfortable; your chest was kind of crushing it.” He muttered out reluctantly, almost shrinking in size a bit at the confession. “…But I mean, it’s no big deal. I’m not complaining or anything-“

“Sorry about that, I’ll try to be more careful.” Adam said, almost in a whisper as they gave Kai a soft peck on the cheek, releasing the tension from his shoulders. Mira stared at his broken arm for a few moments, and then spoke up. “I know we should probably keep going but I think it’d be good to stop here and check that arm.” She explained, placing a finger under her chin, looking almost as if she was pondering something.

Adam instantly nodded a yes to the suggestion. “Yeah. Sit down Kai.” He gently urged the red-head to lower himself to the floor, much to Kai’s quiet protests. “N-no…it’s fine. We should keep going.” He attempted to assure his friends as Mira crawled over to him and was handed the satchel from Adam. “Don’t… _don’t waste your time on me_ …”

“Hush.” Mira retorted bluntly. Giving him a stern glare, yet it was paired with a comforting smile. “This isn’t a waste of time at all, now sit still while I unwrap that splint.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah! New chapter! Hope you enjoyed it! Feel free to express your thoughts in the comments below. And stay tuned!


	44. Colrath III, Matron

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything a mother should be...

Kai’s arm was… _a bit better to say the least_. Adam nearly panicked when he saw how bad it was, and apologized for irritating the injury once more. Kai shut him up by kissing him on the lips, an action that took courage on his part. “…If I have to learn to love myself more…then you have to learn to be less hard on yourself.” His challenge surprised the leader, but they quickly gave a soft smile and a nod.

Mira re-wrapped his arm, and then re-wrapped the splint that propped the arm up. “Ok then, we should get going.” She urged, picking up the scythe she had dropped to the ground. The three teens helped each other up to their feet, and then began to sprint through the catacombs.

As Kai ran with the others, he noted how the stone brick walls seemed to change placement every second. Possibly a result of the game collapsing on itself. This would have made navigating the catacombs much more difficult…if it weren’t for the sound of a person’s voice gracing their ears. Therefore, they just followed the noise.

As they got closer to their target, Kai could finally make out what the person was saying. “Has scales but is not a fish, has wings but is not a bird.” …What?

Eventually, they reached a large room. Opposite to them was a large door, which was likely the exit. In the middle of the room, a hooded old man wearing pitch black reading classes paced back and forth, glitching every few seconds and repeating the phrase the three teens heard.

“So this is the blind guy you were talking about?” Kai asked his friend and boyfriend, who nodded a yes, choosing not to say anything else. As the three teens burst through the door and emerged into the forest. Kai kept repeating the phrase the blind man said through his mind. He felt it was significant; everything in this game seems to happen for a _reason_.

Eventually, the three teens stopped at a clearing. At the center of this clearing stood the tall, large tree that everyone talked about. A soft, womanly face was plastered on the tree, fast asleep based on the snoring.

“We have it!” Adam shouted, presenting the Ishibo to the tree. The tree remained asleep, and Adam shouted for the tree’s attention once more.

That was when she awoke, and her old, all seeing eyes scanned Adam, Mira, Kai, and then the Ishibo. “…Ah.” She spoke softly. “Indeed, you have. Congratulations.”

The Ishibo flew out of Adam’s grasp, and placed itself on the tree’s broken stub, reconnecting and transforming into something akin to an arm and hand, matching the other side of her body.

The three teens gawked in amazement as the ironwood tree lifted herself out of the ground, causing the earth to shake and nearly set them off their feet. She scanned the three teens once more, before settling her gaze at Kai. “…Kai yes?”

Kai jumped at the tree’s sudden interest in him. Slowly nodding, her glanced to the side. “…Y…yeah.”

The ironwood tree slowly stepped towards him, each stomp shaking the ground. Kai stood as stiff as a rock, an uneasy feeling in his chest as the ironwood tree gently surfed through Kai’s hair with one of her tree fingers. “…You poor thing…she didn’t treat you right, did she?” She spoke almost in a whisper, a slightly somber expression filling her face.

Kai widened his eyes in confusion. Who was she talking about? Vanessa? It was a possibility but…he wasn’t so sure…

…The way the tree was treating him right now, it was like how a mother would their children, at least stereotypically… _Kai was uncomfortable_.

The iron-wood tree stood up straight, towering over the children and giving them a stern, yet comforting gaze. “I will lead all of you home. Follow me.” She stated with authority, walking off into the forest. The three teens looked at each other for a few seconds, before sprinting towards the walking tree. It’s not like they had a choice. She was their only way towards home.

After a few moments of following the tree and watching the game glitch out around them, she suddenly stopped, extending her hand to prevent the others from continuing. Kai raised an eyebrow, and continued onwards a bit, curious as to why she was suddenly stopping when the forest clearly showed no signs of ending-

And then his body collided with an invisible wall that buzzed at the sudden contact. Kai fell to the dirt ground, clutching onto his aching nose and moaning in pain.

Adam and Mira were by his side in an instant, asking if he was ok in 1,000 different variations that Kai still found annoying. “I-I’m fine.” He reassured them, and pointed towards the wall he just ran against. “…What is that?”

Adam cautiously raised his hand, and touch the strange, barely visible wall. “…Is this…the edge of the world? Of the game?” He inquired to the tree, who nodded a yes to his question. “Yes. Your road to home lies beyond these walls.” She explained, pointing at the said walls.

“How do we get through then?” Mira questioned worriedly. She had a right to be concerned. The glitches were getting way out of hand. Behind them, some parts of the floor and the objects seem to be disappearing, revealing a strange, green background under it. They didn’t have much time.

Instead of answering their question verbally, the iron-wood tree answered it visually. She raised her fist, gathering energy in a familiar purple glow, and then punched straight through the wall, dragging up and making an opening to what seemed like an arid wasteland.

The three teens stared in complete shock. “ _You must go at once!_ **Hurry**!” The tree screamed, her groans of pain striking through the children’s hearts. But of course, they had to go, and so they raced through the opening their savior made.

“Come with us!” Mira urged. But the tree quickly shook her head. “ _No_ …I cannot cross into this world… **go**!” Mira gave a somber, yet grateful look to the tree, before crossing the rest of the way through. She joined Kai and Adam, who watched the opening they passed through slowly closing around the tree’s hand

“…Remember… _you are worthy_.” Said the tree, pointing towards them. The opening completely closed, snapping her hand clean off and flinging in near them. The Ishibo…or they supposed the tree’s hand, was available for use once more.

A moment of silence was given to mourn the loss of the tree, who had saved their lives. Adam then slowly stepped towards the Ishibo, and yanked it out of the dry ground it was embedded in. “…Where are we now?” He asked, mostly to himself as he looked around.

Kai and Mira also began to search their surroundings, and the teens eyes beheld a huge, almost gothic like castle in the distance, surrounded by a deep, deep ditch.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a skull, as well as a few bones scattered around it.

…They were _fucked_.

“Boss monster.” Kai stated bluntly, Adam and Mira gazed as him with confusion. “…What?” Mira asked with a raised eyebrow.

“If this is a video game, then this might be the final boss y’know? The final test before you win.” Kai hesitantly explained. It was _just_ a theory though. _He’s probably just overreacting_! _He should just shut up and keep his stupid theories to himself_ -

A horrifying screeching noise graced the three teens ears as a shadow enveloped them and the ground shook violently. Adam managed to catch Kai and Mira before they could fall to the ground and crouched down. The three teens held on to each other tight as the shadow disappeared, and the creature casting the shadow was revealed. A large, red dragon that placed its sharp claws at the tallest roof of the castle, breathing out fire as it screeched once more.

“…See Kai! You were right!” Mira reassured the red-head, who raised an eyebrow in confusion. “I never said I was wr-“

“You were thinking it though.” Adam stated bluntly, tightening his grip on Kai’s hand. “We could see it in your eyes. See Kai? You’re not stupid at all.”

Kai only blinked and stared to the side, unsure of what he should feel in that moment.

“ **I am Colrath, protector of the realm. The unworthy shall not enter!** ”

The red dragon, supposedly called Colrath, spoke to the three kids with a booming voice of authority, his eyes glaring daggers at them. “Has scales but is not a fish…has wings but is not a bird…” Adam muttered out with a sudden realization. “That old guy knew about this…” Mira added on, her determined gaze fixed at Colrath. Standing up, she attempted to reason with the fire beast. “Please understand! We just want to go home! Can we enter your castle?” She shouted as loud as she could, hoping the dragon would listen.

The dragon did not listen, its glare narrowed even more, if that was possible, at the three teens. “ **I am Colrath, protector of the realm. The unworthy shall not enter**!” It repeated once more, almost like a broken record.

“…But…we are worthy!” Adam corrected the dragon. They smiled at Mira, who smiled back with as much confidence. Adam then smiled at Kai, who lifted the corners of his mouth awkwardly as they helped pull him up. The three teens prepared themselves for the fight that was going to occur, and charged in a battle stance, letting out a war cry.

The dragon lifted itself from the roof, and dashed through the sky towards the three teens. Opening its mouth, it breathed out fire, almost akin to a flamethrower on steroids. Adam, Mira, and Kai almost got incinerated right there.

“It’s no use! It’s a dragon!” Mira shouted out in despair, wiping away a tiny flame that had settled in her hair. As the dragon rebounded, and charged at them, Kai remembered once more an important thing about himself.

And so, despite the protests of Adam and Mira, Kai rushed ahead in front of them, and raised his hand, focusing intently on his goal. The dragon breathed out more flames, but the flames parted away from the three teens, circling around Kai, the known pyrokinetic.

Adam, with newfound courage and hope, changed through the fire circle, jumped at the Dragon, and smacked its face with the Ishibo. Colrath let out a loud, angry roar, before flying off into the nearby watery ditch. Its body splashed through the water, and disappeared from sight.

…Huh…

That was…anticlimactic…

The three teens cautiously stepped towards the edge of the watery ditch. The water seemed to be perfectly calm, and no dragon erupted to surprise them.

“…That was too easy…stay on your guard…”

And so, the three teens waited.

…and waited…

…and…waited…

…Wow. Was that it?

Kai, with hesitation, looked behind him, only to see what appeared to be some sort of green glitchy wall from afar, slowly closing in on them.

And the wall was devouring everything in its path, destroying the decaying shrubs and various other objects into tiny glitch squares.

He grabbed onto his boyfriend’s shirt, tugging it gently. “…Adam?” The red-head’s worried tone quickly diverted the leaders focus, and they instead looked towards the green wall of death Kai pointed towards.

“…I…think we should get going.” Mira, who also looked behind her to see the green screen of destruction, suggested breathlessly. Adam and Kai quickly agreed, and sprinted towards the pathway that led to the castle.

Or what was left of the pathway. The ground was cut off half way, leaving the entrance unobtainable. There did seem to be a drawbridge however, so they just needed to figure out how to lower it…

And as the three stood there in silence, thinking of some sort of plan or method to do so, a strange bubbling noise was heard from the watery ditch. Colrath, without so much as a warning, appeared before the three teens and flew up high in the air. Adam, Mira, and Kai stared in horror and disappointment as the dragon emitted a screech, and showed off its new blue color scheme.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAAAAY only 3 chapters left!
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Stay tuned, and feel free to express your thoughts below!


	45. Colrath IV, Victory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They did it!

Colrath, now a vibrant shade of blue, was not happy in the slightest.

The dragon expressed its rage very clearly by shooting a lightning bolt out of its mouth, aimed at the three teens. Adam managed to grab Kai and Mira and jump out of the way just in time. A large crater marked where the bolt hit the ground.

Colrath was quickly flying up to them, ready to chomp their bodies into pieces, naturally the three teens ran away from the dragon as fast as they could because of this. Mira and Adam were quick, and although the dragon was much faster, and was gaining up on them, they were far ahead of Kai, who’s legs still hurt from the small and large cuts he made.

The dragon’s mouth was only an inch behind Kai before, in a state of panic, the red-head shot fire with one of his hands, and lifted himself up to the ground, soaring into the sky. The dragon easily got distracted by this, and focused its attention exclusively on Kai, screeching after him in frustration.

Kai’s head was pounding, his heart was beating, and his eyes were watering. He’d never _felt_ so much in his entire life, or at least, since he had woken up in the bunker.

Part of his panic was the fact that using only one hand to boost himself up made steering difficult. His propelling was jagged and lopsided, and he almost hit the ground multiple times.

The chase went on for what seemed like hours to Kai. He was getting exhausted, so damn exhausted, and he was starting to question if he even wanted to run away.

He was letting his mind wander, that usually wasn’t good. Even he could admit that.

_Why are you running away, don’t you want to die?_

_It’s so hard, it’s so difficult, just give up already._

_Look back at everything you’ve done; you probably deserve to be eaten._

_Your friends are trying so hard to help you but no matter what they do you always go back to square one. You can’t do anything right. Just kill yourself already._

Kai’s thoughts were enough to distract him from his goal of running away. He was slow enough for Colrath to whack him with its head, flinging him straight to the ground. Luckily, he was low enough to where he didn’t break any more bones, but his body still ached from the impact.

The dragon pinned Kai’s body to the ground with one of its claws, preventing him from escaping. Kai didn’t try to escape. Staring at the dragons cold, menacing glare, he accepted his fate.

… _Pathetic_ …

“ **GET YOUR CLAWS AWAY FROM HIM!** ”

Kai looked to his side, only to see an _extremely livid_ Adam charging almost as fast as a cheetah at the dragon. The shout had warned the dragon though, and it swung its tail at the leader, knocking them off their feet and sending them flying. They landed on the ground with a thud, the Ishibo landing close by them.

Something snapped in Kai in that moment.

… _No_.

Kai wiggled his working arm out of Colrath’s grasp, and shoot a fire beam directly at one of the dragon’s eyes. The dragon froze, screaming in pain.

As the fire beam’s hue shifted to a blue color, and grew stronger and stronger, to where the beam burned the entire dragon’s face, Kai screamed as loud as he could:

“ **DO WHATEVER THE FUCK YOU WANT WITH ME. BUT DON’T _EVER_ HURT THE ONES I LOVE!**”

The dragon managed to finally compose itself and jumped away from the pyrokinetic as fast as it could. Landing on its side, it wimped, its eyes shut tight, and its face a charred black and fleshy red from the burning. Even one it eventually opened its eyes, it franticly looked around the area, as if it couldn’t tell where it was.

Mira, who had stood back and watched, unsure of what she could do, quickly put two and two together. “…Kai!” She shouted, staring at him with wide eyes and a smile. “You _blinded_ the dragon!”

Mira in that moment knew exactly what she could do.

She ran towards the dragon, far enough to where his mouth wouldn’t be able to reach her, and stomped her feet, making as much noise as possible. The dragon quickly picked up this clamor, and cautiously followed the noise, which seemed to only get farther and farther away the closer it got to the noise.

This was because Mira was purposely leading the dragon towards the green screen of death.

When the dragon was far enough from the castle, and close enough to the green screen, she quickly hightailed it out of there, sprinting towards the castle as quietly as she could. The dragon blinked its ruined eyes, confused as to why the strange noise was suddenly gone. Then it felt itself being touched by some strange wall, before it felt nothing anymore, as it spazzed out and glitched out of existence.

Mira stopped her sprinting as soon as she reached Kai, and helped him to his feet. Trying to stand up with only one arm after all was rather difficult. “Are you ok?” She questioned softly, her hands-on Kai’s shoulders.

Kai thought about that question longer than he was supposed to.

…Was he ok?

Kai slowly breathed in, softly breathed out, and for the very first time, he replied to that question honestly. “… _No_.” He giggled out, his eyes just a bit watery. “ _I’m not ok at all_.”

After a few silent moments, Mira wrapped her arms around Kai, and gentle rubbed his back in a comforting motion. Kai didn’t really need to cry in that moment, and he didn’t cry, but he needed that hug.

The sound of soft, irregular footsteps alerted Kai and Mira, and they looked behind them to see Adam, the ishibo in his hand, slightly limping towards them. Mira separated herself from Kai, watching with a soft smile as Kai quickly ran up to Adam and wrapped his arm tightly around their neck. Adam was startled at first, but quickly returned the hug.

“Saw what you did there” Adam commented, gentling kissing Kai’s forehead. “You’re amazing _love_.”

Kai nearly died right then and there.

“ _L-l-love_?” He stuttered, his face as red as a pepper. Adam’s face quickly flushed to that same hue as well. “Uh…s-sorry that just came out of nowhere-“

“ _I don’t mind!_ ” Kai blurted out, burying his head in Adam’s shirt. “J-just warn me next time…I…it makes me think of strange things.”

A small silence followed, which was then destroyed by Adam squeezing Kai even tighter and kissing his face senseless. Kai giggled at the skin contact, which was rather ticklish.

“Guys I’d hate to ruin your moment _buuuuuut_ …” Mira’s slightly fearful warning alerted the two lovers. Their gaze followed the direction she pointed at, and they beheld that green screen of destruction, which was _closer_ , _and wasn’t stopping anytime soon_.

Kai and Adam were quick to separate, and the three teens began to run as quick as they could towards the castle…or, at least that’s what they tried to do. Adam tried to limp as fast as he could, but it just wasn’t fast enough, so Kai and Mira sprinted back to drag him with them.

They all gave a sigh of relief at the now lowered drawbridge, which presented a wide wooden door to the inside of the castle. The three teens stopped in front of the door, and Adam tried to open the door. Grabbing the knob, he yanked and yanked, but the door wouldn’t budge.

Adam then began surfing through the satchel he wore; an action Mira was annoyed by. “…Adam? What are you _doing_?” The leader was quick to reply. “Looking for the keys! Maybe one of them will open the door!”

Mira wasn’t having any of this however. She dropped her scythe, yanked the Ishibo from Adam’s grasp despite his protest, and hit the door with it as hard as she could.

The door disintegrated into nothing, and before the three teens was nothing more than a portal entrance. They all looked at each other in confusion for a few moments, and then looked behind them, only to find the green screen had already swallowed the drawbridge, and was quickly advancing towards them.

“ **Jump!** ” Adam yelled, and the three teens quickly jumped towards the portal. There was white, and then there was black.

The first thing Kai heard was…well, nothing.

He woke up on his own this time, and even though his body wanted to stay on the ground and sleep, Kai slowly pushed himself up.

Observing his surroundings, he felt what little hope he had get crushed into thousands of pieces.

They were in that bunker again.

Adam and Mira were also awake, and observed their surroundings with the same amount of defeat. “Oh nooo…” Mira whined out. _Oh no was an understatement_.

“Great…back where we started.” Adam muttered out, staring at the ground in dejection.

That is…until something slowly lifted itself from the ground. A green button was presented to the three teens. “…That…wasn’t there before.” Kai stated the obvious.

Mira studied her surroundings once more, before shrugging. “Well…we might as well press it. There’s no typewriter this time so…” Adam and Kai, after a few moments, agreed with her. “We’ll press the button together on three ok?” Adam suggested. His suggestion was accepted, and the three teens hovered their hand over the button, waiting for that special number.

…1…

…2…

… _3_!

As the button was pressed, a wave of memories crashed against Kai, like a tsunami that appeared out of nowhere. For one split second, he was consumed by those memories, and he relived his existence once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So shit happened and I got grounded. That's why I haven't posted any chapters in a while.
> 
> To make up for this, I'm presenting you TWO chapters. Expect Kai's special chapter soon (unless something happens)


	46. Kaleb

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes he misses her. It kinda scares him.

Kaleb.

That was the name his mother gave him.

Supposedly he was named after his great uncle. Mom always talked about him in such a positive light that he…kinda felt bad for not living up to the name.

He abandoned that name the day he ran away.

He distinctly remembers the first time he cut himself.

It was after another argument he had with his mom.

He was 12 at the time, was going to be 13 in a few days, and he decided it was a good idea to make an offhanded comment at how pathetic he felt while “doing work for his online school.”

He hadn’t had a single friend his own age since he was 9, that was the year his mom put him out of public school. He hadn’t left the house in months, and even then, it was only to go to the store with her. He was lonely, going stir crazy, and had no one to talk to except her. It was…making it difficult to focus on his school work.

His mom of course replied with a “Am I pathetic to you?”

_Of course not! You do all the shit in this house. I just goof off and surf the internet while you’re not looking because I’m a pathetic piece of shit that can’t do anything._

But he didn’t say that, instead, he simply said. “No.”

His mom then proceeded to go on a rant on “how he shouldn’t worry about what other people think” and that “their life isn’t pathetic at all, and they have it pretty good actually, so stop thinking so negatively like that.”

Kaleb was tired of his mom.

And so, he snapped, and shouted “Gee, thanks for invalidating my feelings mom!”

Kaleb was sent to the porch because of that. Shouting at your mom was a bad thing to do. Kaleb realized his mistake the millisecond he finished his sentence.

It was dark out, and Kaleb was afraid of the dark, but he sucked his fear in. He probably deserves this anyways.

After a few minutes his mom dragged him back inside, and then proceeded to shout at him for ours, repeating three general conclusions:

 **Number 1:** He was a selfish bastard, and he should think about the other kids whose lives are 10 times worse than his.

 **Number 2:** Everyone in his family knows this.

 **Number 3:** If his dad was still alive, and actually bothered to marry his mom instead of going off to marry and have kids with someone else. If they saw how he “disrespected” his mom like this, they’d beat him senseless.

These three conclusions were repeated over and over again at a very loud volume. Kaleb got through this 30-minute process by muttering agreements. Quiet yeses were followed by more shouts of anger.

When Kaleb was finally allowed to go, he instantly ran into his room and shut the door behind him, he collapsed on the bed, shut his watery eyes tight, and covered his ears.

 _If he can’t see it and he can’t here it, it doesn’t exist_.

 _He isn’t here right now, he’s not this this miserable fucking hellhole_.

 **He wants to die** _, why is he like this, why can’t he just not be an idiot for once in his life_?

 _His mom’s right, he really is a selfish bastard huh_?

It was all a blur after that, but the next thing he knew he was washing the razor blade he had finally disconnected from his razor, and a few fresh cuts were marked on his shoulders, stinging like crazy.

Kaleb knew in that moment that he couldn’t go on like this.

 _He couldn’t stay here_.

So he planned his escape.

His birthday was uneventful, like it was last year.

His mom became a hardcore Christian. She believed birthdays were a form a vanity, so she kinda banned them. He still got presents from his distant relatives, but there was no party, and he was expected to not make a big deal out of it.

His mom had some errands to run, and had to go across a few towns in order to complete them. As he locked the front door behind her, Kaleb saw his mom for the last time, before she drove off in her dull grey Camry.

Kaleb then grabbed a carry-on hidden in his mom’s spacious closet, printed out directions to the nearest bus station, packed his things, including his personal laptop his mom had poorly hid in case of “hackers,” a thing she began worrying about recently. And left that house as quickly as he could.

He had stolen back all the money his mom had collected for him. All of it had come from various holiday cards he had received throughout the years. It totaled to about 5,000 dollars. That was enough to last him 4 to 6 months at least. Possibly a year if he was careful.

He had thought about this type of thing before. He had a general idea of where he wanted to go. Vancouver. It was pretty much directly across from where he lived, in Joliette. Not only that but it’s a huuuuge city full of things to do, filled with art and history. He wanted to experience life in the big city.

He took his first steps inside the bus, and gave the bus driver the needed amount. They stared at the small, childish boy for a few moments. “…Kid…do your parents know-“

Kaleb pulled out fifty dollars without a single word, and presented it to the bus driver. A few more moments, and the driver snatched it from his hands. “Just keep quiet ok? I wasn’t involved in this. I didn’t know.” He whispered, as if divulging a secret.

Kaleb pushed through the bus crowd. Man, that bus driver must either be a real jackass or completely low on cash. That was what he thought as he sat at one of the very back seats.

He was surprised he even got this far, his heart was racing, his eyes were watery, and at any moment he expected his mom to come sprinting through those bus doors, calling for his son.

But that didn’t happen, and a big part of Kaleb was relieved for that.

Another part of him was…disappointed in a way.

His plan was to just take local buses until he eventually reached his destination, Vancouver. 10,000 different things could go wrong, he could be kidnapped, robbed, killed, raped, so many different things. His mom had warned him.

But…in that moment he preferred those things than going back to her.

Kaleb wasn’t Kaleb anymore. He decided to change his name to Kai. He had looked at various names on the internet the day before, and that stuck with him.

Kai zipped open his carry on, pulled out his old mp3 player, and as he placed his earbuds on he pressed the shuffle button.

The first song that came up was _Miss You_ by _The Rolling Stones_.

Kai was lucky, that’s all he really had to say. Completely lucky.

He managed to reach Vancouver perfectly intact in a few days. He heart was racing, yes, and he was a bit winded, yes, but he was alive. That’s all that really mattered.

He managed to find the nearest library by himself, and printed out a map of the city. He started exploring the area then and there. Observing the restaurants, the art museums, the everything really. He even went off into the country side a bit.

In that country side in fact. He found this old warehouse, hidden behind trees. The place looked completely abandoned, like no one had been there for years.

…Welp, he found his new home.

He settled in that warehouse, and although the night was cold, he was glad to be lying flat on his back instead of sitting down in some crowed bus.

Back when he was still in his single digits, and life was actually good. Kai had this cousin. A real handyman. They taught him everything they knew, and Kai quickly caught up to them. They used to joke that he had “a mechanical touch that they didn’t.”

A week after he got to Vancouver, he took advantage of his skills.

This kid was at this park, broke some mechanical toy. It wasn’t working anymore that was for sure, and the kid wasn’t happy.

Kai of course offered to fix the toy for the kid, because he honestly felt bad. It wasn’t really that hard. Just unscrew a few things there, and voila! Fixed toy.

That 6-year-old of course bragged about this to their parents, and those parents came over to thank him. “It was nothing really.” He said. “people have said I’m really good with fixing things. I don’t think I’m as good as they say I am but that was _nothing_.”

Of course, the parents were intrigued by this. One thing led to another and Kai earned 50 dollars for fixing the couple’s plumbing pipe back at home. They wanted to speak to his parents about it first but he said they wouldn’t mind, which earned him a strange look. Nevertheless, they didn’t question anything more.

The word somehow got around, and Kai suddenly had a job…sort of. More like an odd job, or a hobby he gets payed for. Kai would come in, fix something, and then he’d get payed. It helped with food, so it was all good. Sure, Kai was exhausted all the time, but he figured that was just what the working life was, and it wasn’t because his depression wasn’t disappearing yet, and he still marked his shoulders when he had those thoughts.

When Kai was 14, he had this regular customer who needed help with his plumbing, like a lot of his customers really. He probably should’ve just called himself a plumber.

This guy was a rather round Asian man, a bit aloof, but kind overall. While Kai fixed the pipes, the man would talk about his daughter, and how the two were around the same age, and should meet some time. One day Kai was needed on a weekend, and the man finally introduced the daughter to him.

That was how he met Mira.

Mira’s dad practically begged Kai to stay after he fixed his plumbing, and Kai wasn’t going to decline, he’d like a decent healthy meal for once. At the dinner table, he inhaled that meal faster than you could say “dear god who is this kid.”

After that his dad suggested Kai could stay the night if his parents allowed him. _A free bed_? _Fuck yeah_! So he faked a phone conversation and lied to the man that his parents gave the all clear.

Mira pulled out a sleeping bag in her room for Kai to sleep in. Kai suggested he could sleep in the living room, but this girl was strangely rather kind, and didn’t mind her privacy being invaded.

It was still awkward between the two though. Mira’s dad clearly wanted Mira to be friends with Kai, but the two didn’t know anything about each other.

That is, until Kai saw Mira hook up her switch to her tv and began to play super smash bros ultimate.

“…You like SSB?”

Mira brushed her then shoulder length hair behind her shoulders. “…Yeah. Do you?”

“I used to play SSBB back when I was like…8, with my cousins. Heck yeah!”

Mira handed Kai a controller. “…Do you want to play?” She looked hopefully at the red-head; glad she had finally found something they could connect with.

Kai was just as glad for this development, and after a moment’s hesitation, a wondering of whether he actually deserved this, he ignored his fears and grabbed the controller. The two fought in VS mode for a few hours, talking and getting to know each other. Mira and Kai had been friends ever since.

For 5 months after that, everything was just going great. On the weekends Kai was allowed to stay at Mira’s house, and he had tons of good times with her.

She would often talk about some of the friends she had. One person she talked about a lot was this dude named Adam, who she had known since kindergarten. Kai never asked if he could meet these people. He didn’t want to be…was it nosy? Was that what it was called?

Regardless, that all changed one Saturday morning, while Mira was working on her math homework.

“What do you mean you can’t solve by x?!” Mira questioned in complete and utter confusion. She turned her head towards Kai, who laid on her bed lazily, playing animal crossing on her old 3ds. “Kai, this is _basic_ middle school stuff!”

“I just can’t ok? I always cheated when it came to algebra because I just couldn’t figure it out, not only that but I haven’t done school in a year now so-“

Kai instantly covered his mouth, his eyes widening.

… _He fucked up_. _Big time_.

“…Kai.” Mira began, twisting her office chair to face him. “…What do you mean you haven’t done school in a year?” She looked almost disappointed in him.

“…”

“Kai, I thought you said you were in an online school. Don’t they keep an eye on that kind of stuff?”

“…”

“…Kai, _answer me_. What’s going on in your life right now? Are your parents ok?”

Kai couldn’t lie to Mira, not anymore. “…Let me save first, and then I’ll show you my place…I don’t want Resetti on my ass.” Mira perked up at this comment. She had been asking to see Kai’s place for awhile now, but he always made an excuse. She was eager to see what shape the roof was.

She was practically _screaming_ when she saw the warehouse.

“ **YOU’RE HOMELESS?!** ” She shrieked out, clutching her head in worry as Kai sat on the bean bag he had placed inside the spacious, large storage room. Kai only really decorated one corner, filled with some comforts and some decorations he could afford.

“I wouldn’t say _homeless_ , this is a home technically, I’ve settled in here-“

“ **KAI YOU’RE LOUNGING ON POSSIBLY PRIVATE PROPERTY! THIS PLACE DOESN’T EVEN HAVE AN AIR CONDITIONER! OR A HEATER! THIS ISN’T A HOME!** ”

Well…He supposes Mira was right.

“…How long have you been homeless?”

“…For about…a year now? I got to Vancouver shortly after my 13th birthday so…”

“ _Wait_ , you didn’t live in Vancouver before?”

“…Mira… _I ran away from home_.”

The screaming resumed directly after that revelation. To make an already long story short. Mira swore to not tell anyone about his predicament, and to support Kai the best she could. From then on Mira would often visit the warehouse, sometimes bringing food for Kai to eat, or gifts to decorate Kai’s little corner of the room with.

Mira did also often question about _why_ Kai ran away, but Kai always kept his explanations very vague. Eventually he snapped at Mira and just told her he didn’t want to talk about it. She stopped asking after that.

A few months after Mira found out about Kai’s situation, he walked inside Mira’s living room only to find a boy he’d never met conversing with Mira, like they were old buddies.

“…Oh Kai!” Mira shouted excitedly. “This is Adam, the guy I told you about!”

“Adam” looked over to Kai, and stared at him for a few seconds before smiling. “Hey!” The Latino said. “Mira’s told me about you, nice to finally meet you!”

Kai stood as stiff as a rock as Adam walked up to him, offering him their hand. “I would have visited earlier, but my parents sort of grounded me because of my grades. I’m all clear now though, so I suspect we’ll see each other often now.”

Kai slowly gave a nod, and took the boy’s hand. A brief handshake followed, and for a few hours three teens sat down on a couch and had a long conversation about teen things.

By the time Kai’s 15th birthday was coming around, Kai was completely head over heels in love with Adam.

The guy was handsome, confident, a good leader, great at sports. Everything about Adam made Kai weak at the knees.

He told Mira about this one day, and she gushed about it big time. She had all these plans to get him and Adam together, but Kai always declined them.

Perhaps Kai would have told Adam earlier, but something was stopping him…his depression of course.

It was _horrible_ now. There wasn’t a single day where he didn’t think of suicide. He didn’t know what was _wrong_ with him. Everyday he spiraled deeper and deeper into that black pit of despair, and every day the hidden cuts on his shoulders grew wider and deeper.

The day of Kai’s birthday was the day Kai decided to finally give in. He was going to do it; he was going to kill himself.

Mira and Adam of course celebrated by dragging him to various cafes and buying him pretty much everything he wanted while at the mall. Kai didn’t ask for much, he felt he didn’t deserve it, considering what he was going to do.

Eventually it got pretty late. Mira had to go earlier, as her dad needed her for something. Kai didn’t really remember what it was.

Kai allowed Adam to walk him only to the road where the warehouse was, after that he forced them to stand still. “I can make it the rest of the way…thanks for everything Adam.”

He had turned on his heel, and slowly walked down that road. He had a rope stashed in the warehouse that he’d be hanging from pretty soon-

“Wait!” Adam called out. Kai abruptly stopped, and looked behind him, confusion apparent on his face. “…Yeah? What is it?“

Adam, his face completely flushed, shut his eyes tight, and shouted out three words that would change _everything_.

“ **I love you!** ”

…

This…couldn’t be real.

The chirping of the crickets, the fireflies blinking from afar, the thwacking sound his bag full of birthday gifts made as he dropped them to the ground, the words he just heard come from Adam’s mouth. This moment had to be a dream, or at the very least a hallucination.

That’s what Kai assured himself as he shakily replied: “…Me too. I have for a while actually.”

That revelation was too much for Adam, who stomped toward him, grabbed him by the shoulders, and kissed his furiously.

In that moment Kai realized that this _wasn’t_ a dream. This was _real_. _This was actually happening_.

When he came to that realization, his vision blurred, and hot tears dripped from his eyes. He sobbed out his joy as Adam held tightly onto him, possibly in near tears as well.

Kai stayed at Adam’s place that night. Their parents weren’t home, they were on a vacation, so the apartment was all to themselves.

They didn’t do anything…s-sexy. They just slept in each other’s arms that night.

When he woke up next to Adam, he came to the sudden realization that Adam technically saved his life that night. And because of that, they deserved to know about his situation. Especially since they were a thing now…he thinks?

Adam was rather excited to finally see Kai’s place. Mira wouldn’t tell him anything about it. For some reason it was all hush hush.

When Adam saw the warehouse, he realized _why_ it was all hush hush.

Adam freaked out just as much as Mira, in fact more so. Kai could tell how worried Adam was by the volume of his voice, which he asked Adam to tone down. It was freaking him out.

For a good hour the two just held onto each other. Adam promised to keep Kai’s situation and secret, and ever since then Adam would also often visit the warehouse. Adam always brought something Kai could use. He was their boyfriend now after all.

Mira was delighted by Kai and Adam getting together, and got them some “you dumb dumbs finally confessed” gifts. Kai finally got a new pair of shoes, replacing his old, worn down ones. Adam got a t-shirt with The Hollow logo printed on it. Both were rather thankful.

The Hollow was a high stakes VR game show that had been running for a few years now. Kai figured out that Adam was a rather big fan pretty quickly.

A few months after Kai and Adam started dating, Adam randomly presented a sheet of paper towards Kai while they were on a café date.

“…What’s this?”

“It’s a sheet to sign up for the hollow! I’ve always wanted to take my chances but the only person I could fully trust as a teammate was Mira at the time…that is…until you came along. Mira’s already signed by the way.”

“…So you want me to be one of your teammates for The Hollow?”

“Yeah…If you want to that is! I understand if you aren’t interested in this kind of stuff.”

Kai thought of the situation _deeply_.

The reward for winning? A trophy and **1,000,000 dollars**.

But The Hollow has been known to…reveal the worst in people. With your memories wiped you’re bound to do a lot of things you wouldn’t do normally. The Hollow of course in their terms of agreements say that they “don’t take any responsibility for these behaviors” which prevented them from getting sued.

 _If Kai participates_ … _it’s likely everyone will find out about his depression, including Adam and Mira_.

…And… _that’s what he wants_.

He’s tired of feeling this way. He wants to tell Mira and Adam about how miserable he is all the time but…he just… _can’t_.

So he’ll let the him without memories do it for him.

Not only that, but his mom **_HATES_** the hollow, he won’t get caught through this. Just in case though he’ll have a talk with Mira about what color hair dye he should pick, and what new name to choose.

He’s definitely signing that paper, but first…. “…I’ll do it on one condition.” He twirled the pen with his fingers, staring at the paper without reading the words. Adam raised an eyebrow at this, sipping his coffee. “...Do you want me to make you mac and cheese again?”

“…No…whether we win or lose, after we return home from the event, I want to have sex with you.”

Adam nearly spat out his coffee, his face completely red. Kai himself was also bubbling in embarrassment, it took half of his will to utter that demand out loud. “…I-I mean…if you don’t want to that’s fine. I’ll sign anyways I just-“

“N-no uh…I just…I’m surprised, I didn’t expect you to ask for that kind of thing in a place like…this.”

“…So…can we…?”

“Y-yeah! Sure! I’ve actually been thinking about this for awhile and…I uh…would have brought it up eventually. You beat me too it though…” He laughed awkwardly. “It’ll be a nice way to celebrate when we win.”

“…O-or a good way to cheer ourselves up if we lose.”

“We’ll win.” Adam said with resolution. “I’m going to do everything in my power to do so.”

As Kai signed his name on the The Hollow audition sheet, Kai couldn’t help but agree with Adam. “…And I’ll try to do everything in my power to help us win as well.” He replied with a smile, dropping the pen on the table and taking a sip from his iced tea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the longest chapter by far, and also the easiest for me to write (as such it's probably the worst XD). There's pretty much only one chapter left after this, so stay tuned! Feel free to comment your thoughts below as well!


	47. Insomnia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> His mom told him happy endings are just a fantasy...but...if this was the ending of something...he supposed it would be rather happy...

They had won.

Kai could hardly believe it honestly.

Even as the trophy stood proudly on Adam’s coffee table, Kai still couldn’t fully comprehend it.

Probably because something else was one his mind, something that he couldn’t let go even after Adam drove him to their house.

“…I saw Vanessa’s eye glitch.”

The TV, which displayed some cheesy romance movie, was paused with a click that came from the remote, which Adam was holding. “…What?”

“I saw Vanessa’s eye glitch.” He repeated, quieter this time, burying his head into his boyfriend’s chest as he lay on top of them, on the couch. “It was when I was holding the trophy, I looked over and I saw it.”

“…”

“I know you think I’m crazy.”

“I don’t.”

“ _I_ sure as fuck do-“

“ _Language_.”

“Fuuuuuooooshoot…” He let out a frustrated sigh. It wasn’t enough that he was depressed huh? Now he has to start seeing things.

Adam stared at the red-head, who displayed a bad mood. Raising the remote again, he turned the TV off with a few clicks. “…Ok, this isn’t helping me sleep at all so we’re going to talk _now_ instead of tomorrow like we planned.”

“You going to break up with me-“

“What? No! You always say that whenever I say “we need to talk.”” Adam gripped Kai’s shoulders and lifted him up, staring at him with slight concern. “…And now I know why.”

“…Yep.” Kai muttered out. “You sure do.”

An awkward silence hung between the two lovers for a few moments, before Adam, after a moment of deep thinking, finally uttered the question in his mind. “…How…how long have you…felt like this?”

“…Long before I got here.” Kai answered after a moment’s hesitation. “…Since I was 12…only realized it a year later-”

“Wait a second.” Adam interrupted, confusion in his face. “Since you _what_. You weren’t born in Vancouver?”

“… _Ooooooh boy_.” Kai surfed through his hair with his hands. “I should tell you about that huh?”

And so Kai, for the very first time, told someone about his old life with his mom. He told them how miserable he felt, how he ran away, where he used to live, everything really. Adam listened intently, didn’t interrupt to ask questions.

When Kai finished though, _boy_ were there a lot of questions. “ _Why would you jerk together a plan like that!?_ ” “ _Do you have any idea what could have happened to you?!_ ” “ _You should have printed a map before you got here, what would have happened if you didn’t find the library by nightfall?!_ ”

“… _These_ are the questions you’re asking?” Kai was almost a bit disappointed. “You’re not going to ask why I was being such a selfish idiot and decided to run away from _my poor mom_ -“

“You weren’t being selfish. At least that’s my opinion.” Adam countered with a sincere face. “Based on what you’ve described your mom was a major control freak and some of the stuff she did was downright emotional abuse. I don’t blame you for wanting to run away.”

“But I mean…I technically had it so good there. I had an internet connection all the time, and food, and a bed, and a house-“

“But you were miserable…and what would be the point of living a well-cared for life if you can’t even properly enjoy it?”

Kai hung his head, letting out a exaggerated sigh, and then a strained laugh. “Still am miserable now. Even though I have a boyfriend I still feel like sh…not very good.” _Nice save_.

Adam responded to this by lifting Kai’s head by their chin, giving them a soft kiss. “That’s ok.” He reassured his boyfriend. “You’re not being ungrateful or anything, you just can’t make as much serotonin as other people…probably.”

“…I can’t believe you know what serotonin is.” Kai let out a small giggle that was somewhat genuine. Adam in turned raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean by that?” He questioned with a smirk; his tone accusatory. Kai was eager to explain his comment. “I’ve seen your grades Adam. You’re going to get grounded again-“

The next thing Kai knew he was pinned down to the couch by Adam, who gave him small butterfly kisses all over his face. Each peck tickled his skin, causing him to giggle uncontrollably.

A thought peaked into his mind however…this is the prime opportunity to get things a bit _steamy_.

And so, wearing a big smirk, he lowered his hand between Adam’s legs, and abruptly rubbed his crotch-

Adam immediately stopped the kissing, grabbed Kai’s intruding arm, and stared at Kai with a straight face. “ _Nope_.” He stated bluntly.

“…Wh-“

“ _We’re not having sex tonight_.”

“But you sa-“

“Yeah, and then Vanessa happened. Remember what I said in the game?”

“But that was just that! A video game! It didn’t actually happen-“

“Just because it was a video game doesn’t mean it didn’t feel real. I almost “died” and it was the most jarring and uncomfortable experience of my life. So I imagine that what happened between you and Vanessa must have felt pretty real.”

“…Oh f…shoot.” Kai muttered, covering his face with his hands. “I _cheated_ on you.”

“You didn’t remember anything at the time, it’s ok.” Adam gently grabbed one of Kai’s hands, removing it from their face.

“…But…I mean you’re right. It did feel real…but I’m _totally_ over it-“

“Are you now?” Adam asked with a raised eyebrow.

“I totally, _100%_ am-“

Kai’s immediately stiffened when he felt a hand gripping his crotch. For a few moments it lingered, and Kai stared without clear focus, dead silent. “…Yeah, you _definitely_ are.” Adam said with obvious sarcasm.

As Adam stood up to stretch his legs. Kai composed himself, and sat up staring at Adam with puppy dog eyes. “ _Adaaaaaam_ ~”

“No.”

“But don’t you want to?”

“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t.”

“Then why not~”

“Because your body says no.”

“But my words say yes~”

“Words are just words.”

“ _Adam I want you_ ~”

“That’s not going to work.”

“ _I want your di_ -“

At that point Adam covered his ears with his hands, blushing slightly and staring straight ahead. After a few moments, his hands were forced away by Kai himself, who stood behind Adam. “What if I stripped right now?” He asked in a lowered tone, directly in Adam’s ear. Adam didn’t skip a beat, although his heart did. “Then I’ll run into my room and lock the door.”

Kai lingered for a few moments before letting out a frustrated sigh. He let go of Adam’s wrists and plopped himself back onto the couch, crossing his arms and looking away. “… _Fine_.” He muttered out. “Kill joy.”

Adam let out a small, guilt-ridden sigh and picked up his phone. Kai eventually did the same thing. As Adam surfed through his messages, he heard the familiar texting clicks near him. “…Texting Mira?”

“Yeah.” Kai muttered the confirmation without stopping his fingers from typing. “…Actually uh. Tomorrow I’m going to go to her place and get my hair bleached and dyed. We decided on cyan.”

“That’ll look cool…but why?”

“Just in case my mom accidentally sees a The Hollow news report, sees me in a picture, and comes hounding for my ass.”

“ _Language_.”

“S-sorry I just…yeah. I haven’t decided on a new name yet though…I’m thinking of choosing one that starts with a k, like I did with Kai.”

Adam, after a moment of processing the statement, turn his head towards Kai, a surprised expression on his face. “…Kai isn’t your real name?”

Kai stopped texting at that moment, and after a few seconds, set the phone down slowly. Taking a deep breath, he uttered a name he hadn’t heard in so long. “…It’s Kaleb.” The name almost sounded foreign to him at this point.

“…Huh…”

“…I uh…please don’t call me that though…just…call me Kai. _That’s who I am_.”

“Ok.”

Kai raised his lowered head, slightly shocked at his boyfriend’s response. “…Ok?”

“Yeah. If that’s what you want to be called, then I’ll call you that. Even if you didn’t say anything, I would’ve still called you Kai.”

Kai lowered his gaze onto his lap, thinking deeply for a few moments, before staring at his boyfriend, who gave him a soft smile. “…I-I changed my mind. You can call me Kaleb, but only when we’re alone and only after you’ve done cheesy romantic stuff with me.”

Adam’s smile grew a bit wider, and he sat back down next to Kai. Taking their hand, he gave it a small peck. Their stare was filled with love. “…You mean something like this _Kaleb_?”

One single thought repeated in Kai…no, _Kaleb’s_ mind.

“…Fuck.”

“ _Language._ ”

“F- _Fuck you_! I am experiencing _feelings_ and “shoot” isn’t enough to express them!”

Adam rolled his eyes, and enveloped Kai in a tight hug. “Fine, I’ll let it slid… _once_.”

The two laid in each other’s arms for a few minutes in complete silence, enjoying each other’s company. Adam once again broke the silence without so much as a warning. “…By the way. I’ll drive you to Mira’s if you want.”

“…Isn’t gas expensive though?” Kai nearly winced just from thinking of the price.

“It’s no big deal, you worry too much about that kind of thing.”

“…Ok…thanks…”

“Also, when you’re done, I’m picking you up. We need to discuss the whole therapy thing.”

“… _Oh god_.”

“And also we’ll need to go to the store and get a sleeping bag. I don’t want to tempt either of us by sleeping in the same bed until I’m sure you’re over the whole Vanessa thing.”

“…Wh-“

“And then we’ll need to go to the warehouse and pack as much as we can, so we can move it here-“

“Whoa whoa whoa slow down a minute.” Kai was sweating bullets. What? What was Adam talking about? “What the heck? What are you even saying?”

“Oh…uh…” Adam awkwardly scratched his head, staring to the side. “I forgot to tell you but my parents are moving away. They’re giving me this apartment, since I’ll be turning 18 next year. And uh…since this is basically my house now…I figured I could finally ask you to move in…guess I forgot about the asking part though…so uh…do-“

“Yes.” Kai didn’t even bother to let Adam finish his question. He was on the brink of tears. “T…thank you s-so much.”

Kai began to sob uncontrollably, burying his face into Adam’s shirt. Adam in turn held onto Kai even tighter, rubbing their back in a comforting motion.

As Kai drowned in his tears, he slowly forgot why he was even crying in the first place. At that moment, it was all emotion.

…But…for once, it wasn’t a completely bad emotion. It was an emotion that stung, but at the same time… _felt good_.

…Was this… _relief_? _Happiness_?

…Maybe…maybe everything will turn out all right…

 _Maybe everything’s going to be OK_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did it boys. This bad fanfic is finished.
> 
> A big thank you for those who read this fanfic and gave it kudos (despite it's bad quality)!
> 
> Now that's it's completely finished, I'd love to hear some thoughts, such as you're favorite part, least favorite part, anything you thought could have been better, overall rating, E.T.C. (a simple huzzah is fine too!). 
> 
> Thank you for reading!
> 
> (...Also if I get enough motivation and enough people ask I may just make a one-shot sequel where Kai and Adam finally ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) ...maybe)
> 
> (Feel free to draw any scenes you like for this fic as well, or make your own one-shots or fics off of it. IDC. Do what you want with this!)


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